Star Wars: Calling of the Force
by vrockpokey
Summary: After several adventures that Jak, Daxter, and Keira have together, they come to their most daunting task yet: saving the galaxy from an uprising Empire. Darth Vader begins to exterminate the last of the Jedi starting with Jak's home planet. The only way that Jak and Keira can save the galaxy is to trust in the ways of the Force. More chapters will come soon! Read and review
1. Chapter 1: Birth of a new Jedi Order

Star Wars: Calling of the Force

(A Jak and Daxter/Star Wars crossover, as well as several cameos from Ratchet and Clank, and Halo)

Prologue/Opening Summary:

Three Years after the events that followed from _The Last Frontier,_ Now 23-year-old Jak Mikwa became engaged to his one true love Keira Hagai, and inherited his father's lost throne as king of Haven City. During those three years, he and his sidekick best friend, Daxter, embarked on many adventures to protect their planet of Eco from outside threats. Jak and his group of friends became very successful in protecting the planet, as he was revered as, "Eco's greatest hero."

However, little did they know that their planet was part of a galactic system that was recently consumed by an evil empire that was planning to ravage through the far reaches of the galaxy, destroying any source of good that each planet had, and conquering every last living system in the galaxy, annexing them to fall under complete control of the Empire. Led by the evil emperor, Darth Sidious, he sends his newly-acquired apprentice, Darth Vader, and an army of Imperial troops to destroy any remaining Jedi Knights across the galaxy that survived the Great Jedi Purge (Order 66), and to attain any resources that would be beneficial to the construction of the infamous Death Star.

The Emperor selects the planet of Eco as the first location that Vader will attack, due to the planet's strong connection with the Force, especially through Jak and Keira. Luckily, Samos Hagai retained this piece of information and taught the ways of the force to Jak and Keira as quickly as he could. (as he was a Jedi Knight once before too.) The revered hero and his group of closest friends would eventually have no choice but to evacuate their homeworld, and work together to protect the galaxy as a whole from the clutches of evil.

Now, Jak comes to his most daunting challenge yet, as he tries to save the galaxy by using his eco powers to embrace the ways of the force quicker than the average Jedi Knight. To save his friends, the love of his life, and the entire universe, he will have no choice but to use his new powers, altering his life forever…

Chapter 1: Birth of a new Jedi Order

Within the main ballroom of the newly-renovated Palace of Haven City, Jak Mikwa and Keira Hagai completed their wedding ceremony. It was a glorious ceremony, as citizens from not only Haven City, but from Spargus and even Kraas City as well came together to witness the union of the new King and Queen. Daxter served as the best man, and Tess was the maid of honor. The reception was nothing short of pure joy, as Daxter, Sig, Torn, Jinx, Ratchet, and Clank drunkenly swapped embarrassing moments of the newlyweds, while Ashelin, Tess, and even Rayn gossiped about how the bride was so lucky to have Jak as the groom, praising the hero with every word uttered. Ultimately, the reception hit a powerful climax as Samos Hagai, the elder Green Eco Sage and the father of the bride, shared a ten-minute speech regarding the new husband and wife. He told the audience that unlike most dads, he knew that Jak was the perfect man for his daughter, and that he would protect her at all costs just like he protects Eco. He sensed that defiance within him ever since the two met, and he openly expressed how he always happily welcomed him in the family upon the very moment the boy and the girl laid eyes on each other. He saw this as a new stage of hope for him, and the rest of the planet. He was overjoyed that his daughter would share an everlasting bond with his new son-in-law, and he concluded his speech with wise advice he gave to the new couple:

"Love is not easy. Love is not necessarily about sharing kind words and doing good deeds for one another every day, but it is more about facing the most difficult problems as a team, and searching for the best solution for them. It's about sacrificing individual luxuries and desires for the good of one another. That is what love is all about."

With the standing ovation that followed, the reception ended. As soon as all the guests departed, the new King of Haven City carried his new bride upstairs into the master bedroom chamber. The room contained many pictures of the couple's finest moments, and Jak recently added the photo of the wedding kiss to his dresser. As he tossed his bride onto the soft mattress, he climbed on top of her. They giggled, and then Jak sat up, with a serious look on his face.

"What's wrong, my love?" Keira inquired.

"There's something I need to get off my chest." Jak answered.

"Go on..." she replied with a stern look on her face.

Jak responded, "Your dad was right, this isn't going to be easy for either of us. We're both saviors of the world. We risk our lives every day to protect not only the ones we love, but people we've never even met before. It's a huge responsibility we deal with every day. Adding marriage into this, it makes our lives even more challenging. Yeah, I'll probably yell at you a lot, call you things that you and I both know are not true, I'll forget to do chores around here, and I might even forget your birthday. However, through all the problems that we face for the rest of our lives, just know that I'm eternally devoted to you. If I'm willing to spend the rest of my life with anyone in the world, I couldn't be happier that I decided to pick you."

Overjoyed that her husband said these words to her, she screamed with tears of joy. She quickly grabbed her husband, and wrestled him onto the bed. They kissed repeatedly for minutes on end, until they shared a moment when they looked deeply into each other.

"I'm so lucky to have fallen in love with you, Jak," she spoke softly.

"I'm even luckier that I've fallen in love with _you_, Keira," He responded.

She said playfully, "Now, now, are we going to make this a contest as to who's the luckier one?"

"Don't start with me little lady," He purred.

They giggled, they kissed, the curtains fell, the lights dimmed, and the door shut.

Early the next morning, Samos rushed from his hut in the slums all the way up to the top chamber of the palace where Jak and Keira stayed. He barged into the master chamber, swinging the door wide open.

He yelled frantically, "JAK! KEIRA! WAKE UP! I HAVE URGENT NEWS! I CALLED EVERYONE OVER HERE! HURRY UP AND MEET US IN THE WAR ROOM! IMMEDIATELY!" He shook the two over and over again trying to stir them from their sleep, and as they awoke, the two were very agitated with his intrusion.

"C'mon Samos!" Jak Complained, "It's our first full day together as a married couple. Can we at least get one day of peace and relaxation?"

"There's no time for that!" Samos retorted, "This is serious!"

"How could it be serious daddy?" Keira replied. She continued in a sarcastic tone, "Surely there can't be THAT much evil going around today. What is it? A bunch of dark makers trying to raid the planet again?"

To this inquiry, Samos replied in a softer, yet more grave and saddened tone, "Worse, I'm afraid that we might not be able to save ourselves from this one." Jak and Keira soon got the memo, and hurried up to get dressed and head downstairs. The two ottsels met up with them, as Tess hopped on Keira's shoulder, while Daxter took his usual spot on Jak's shoulder.

"Hey buddy," Daxter started as they walked downstairs, "what ridiculous mission does that crazy old man want us to do this time?"

"I'm not sure yet, but according to him this mission may be more grave than it sounds," Jak replied.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me!?" Daxter retorted with disbelief, "The crazy old coot overreacts to everything! The last time he flipped out over a mission like this, it ended up being an angry midget with an army of crappy droids! SHEESH! I wonder what this fiasco could be!"

"Well Dax," Jak continued, "based on the way Samos reported it to me, I have a feeling he's not overreacting on this one. I think he's serious."

"You can't possibly buy into this crap!" Daxter yelled.

"What other choice do we have?" Jak finished as he walked into the war room with Keira and Tess. He saw all of his friends surrounding the round table, with worried and anxious looks on their faces staring at them.

"All right old man, what did you bring us here for?" Ashelin asked.

"This mission better be good," Torn continued, "We all know how you dramatize EVERYTHING."

"This situation requires serious action from all of you!" Samos implored, pointing his wooden staff at everyone in the room, "There is something I must show you."

With this, he levitated a small device and placed it onto the center of the table. The device displayed a giant hologram of a man, with fair skin, brownish-red hair and beard, wearing beige robes covered under a giant brown cloak. The man's bright blue eyes were staring directly at Jak and Keira.

The man spoke, "This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both the Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: Trust in The Force. Do not return to the temple, that time has passed, and our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere, and in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always."

As the hologram of Obi-Wan vanished, and Samos looked at Jak, he stood there, confused on the information that he had just received.

"The Force?" Jak asked his father-in-law, perplexed.

"Okay..." Keira continued, "but what does this have to do with us?"

"You two may not have realized this," Samos continued, "but through your abilities of channeling eco, the Force has been with you all along. In fact, eco on this planet, and the force everywhere else, are one in the same. Even more interesting, it was the Force that bought you two together."

"I don't understand," Jak spoke, "does that mean that Keira and I are...Jedi?"

"Not exactly, because you two haven't discovered the ways of a Jedi, until now. But I knew that you two are strong with the Force as I once was."

"Well what are the Jedi?" Ratchet chimed in, "Are they wizards, warriors, monsters?"

"Yeah, get to the point green guy!" Sig chimed in, "We didn't come all this way to listen to whacked-out wizard shit!"

Samos continued, "The Jedi Knights were the most powerful beings in the galaxy. They were comprised of all races in all different types of species all across the galaxy. There were very few that possessed the abilities that they were born with. These men and women were special in strength. They didn't need blasters or gunstaffs to defeat their enemies. They relied only on the Force and the swords they wielded. I was once a Jedi Knight before I relocated here and became a green-eco sage. I was best friends with the current Jedi Grand Master, Yoda. Him and I were the most powerful and wisest Jedi Masters in the order, until a snotty senator named Palpatine bullied me out of there. I don't want to get too into it too much-"

"So get to the point!" Torn Interjected.

"He's stalling," Daxter whispered to Jak. "I hate it when he stalls."

"SILENCE WEASEL!" The sage bellowed as he put out his hand and shoved the ottsel off of Jak's shoulder with force energy. Daxter stood up, distraught and angered, as he was about to unleash his dark side against the sage. Luckily, Jak was able to restrain him before he fully turned into his dark form. "As I was saying," he continued, "Little do all of you know, our planet is part of the same galactic system that was a part of the Jedi Order and the Republic, until the Empire came in and wiped them all out. This planet is located in one of the unknown regions in the Outer Rim, and the Empire is on their way here, TO ATTACK US!"

"But...why?" Keira asked him softly. She too was perplexed on the whole situation unfolding.

"BECAUSE!" Samos continued, "They sense the Force HERE! THROUGH YOU TWO! They're out to destroy not only you two, but this planet as a whole! Because there is Eco here, and that you two are the only two beings that can truly channel it, then they're after YOU!"

"How do you even know that they're coming here first?" Jak asked, "How do you know that the Empire is not heading to some other planet in the galaxy?"

"Because I have forseen it in a vision I had last night." Samos responded. "In my vision, all I saw was a black figure with an angry young man underneath. That man's name is Darth Vader. I saw him lead a legion of troopers into Haven City and destroy this planet from the inside out, consuming all of the dark eco here, and transporting it to a massive space station. That's all I saw."

"So really, our biggest problem is an army?" Jinx interjected. "Big deal! I got the explosives to blow em' right outta' the wata! You ain't gott a worry about a thing Jakkie Boy!"

"I have military resources as well." Ratchet added, "I know of an army also hidden in the Outer Rim territories. If we can get the right firepower and the right soldiers for our support, we'll be able to destroy these Imperial blockheads too quickly. This planet will be fine!"

"I'm afraid those resources will not be sufficient enough to destroy the Empire," Samos informed them, "as they too are strong with the Force as well. The Dark Side."

"Dark?" Jak called out in fear. He didn't like the sound of that, as his dark senses tingled while Samos spoke these very words. Jak hated to admit it, but the eco within him, both light and dark, was beginning to consume him to the point where he is almost losing control of it. He's afraid that once he loses control of his eco powers, he would not only destroy himself, or Keira, or Daxter, but rather the entire planet that he lived on. He needed a remedy to control his tendencies so that he can control his eco powers for good. According to what Samos the Sage was telling him, he knew that trusting in the Force was the only remedy to his affliction.

Samos turned to Jak and spoke to him softly, "Jak, I know that the gunstaff your father gave you is important to you, and you should keep it. But if you rely on that weapon too much, you won't be able to overcome Darth Vader and the Empire. That's why I constructed you and Keira these." With that he presented to him a box that contained two short sticks made up of Precursor material. Jak picked his up and looked at it funny.

"What the hell are these?" He asked.

Samos told him, "These are called, lightsabers. These are the true weapons of the Jedi." He grabbed his new weapon and ignited it. All that came out was a blue steak of light. He waved it around a few times, perplexed, yet fond of what he just received. Despite not appearing as lethal as the blasters he once had, Jak liked this weapon a lot. Keira would soon ignite hers, and out came a purple light streak. The two were in deep thought for a few moments.

"Don't you see?" Samos pleaded to both Jak and Keira, "YOU are the new hope that will emerge! I know it! Let me train you both. You both can channel eco. That's half the battle. Most Jedi spent years and years training in the ways of the Force. Since you two know all about it, your training won't even take nearly half as long, almost a thousand times quicker than the average Jedi. Which is perfect, because the galaxy needs you now more than ever."

Jak and Keira pondered, and thought of the future in general as Samos offered them to teach them the ways of the Force under his wing. He then pleaded to the newlywed couple, "Will you save the galaxy?"

Keira was hesitant in this new endeavor, she stammered "Um...daddy, I don't know if I can-"

"We'll do it!" Jak interjected. Samos was relieved that Jak has accepted the challenge.

"Are you crazy!?" Keira retorted, "This is a dangerous mission with entirely new teachings! We may not even come out of this alive like we have in the past! Don't you want a family with me?"

"Yes Keira, I do," Jak answered calmly, "but wouldn't you want to guarantee your family safety from this evil empire uprising? Or even millions of families? Don't you want to be that person that takes that shot in doing good for something that's bigger than all of us in this room? We talked about this last night. We knew our marriage wasn't going to be easy, and we knew we had to face new challenges together for the rest of our lives if we want to be together. This is the first of many challenges. So here's your chance: Will you help us save the galaxy? Will you do it with me by your side? I've made my choice, but it's all up to you."

Keira thought about what her husband said and pondered the pros and cons of the situation her father presented to her. She was in deep thought for many moments, until she finally came to the conclusion, "I'm in!"

"It is settled then," the Sage proclaimed, "We start training immediately. We can't train here. It's too crowded. We'll need a more remote area with plenty of obstacles for you two to be accustomed to."

"Spargus is the perfect training ground for them!" Sig suggested. "Plenty of metal heads and brute outside warriors for them to swing their swords around in a brute desert. Perfect space for concentration and meditation!"

"Excellent, Spargus it is!" Samos declared.

"Ratchet, Clank" Jak turned to his two good friends, "Will you two stay and take over the throne of Haven City while I'm gone? You might as well assemble the army here. It can't hurt. And Clank, I'm sure you're capable of building the infrastructure we need to defend our city walls, right?"

"You got it sir!" Clank saluted to the king. His friend followed, "We'll do our best for you, buddy."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Keira proudly proclaimed, "Let's all start working together to kick some Imperial ass!" With this the group cheered, and departed from the walls of Haven City, into the barren wasteland of Spargus, where the Jedi Training of Jak and Keira commenced.


	2. Chapter 2: The Empire Arrives

Chapter 2: The Empire's Arrival

Exactly one month after Jak and Keira began their training with Samos, the Empire arrived within orbit of the planet Eco. Soon, a fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters approached the planet from deep space, with the largest of Star Destroyers arriving last on the scene. Little did everyone on Eco know that their armies alone would be of no match for the massive fleet of the Imperial Empire. Their only hope would be if Jak can save them one more time.

Inside the main Star Destroyer, through the main chamber, a door opened. Out came a robotic man adorned with a grey suit, black armor, colored buttons on his chest, and a black cape surrounding it all. His face was hidden by a black, two-piece mask that produced a sinister mechanical breathing. This was the man that Samos spoke of. This was the notorious Sith Lord that came into power. This was the infamous Jedi-killer that swept all across the galaxy. This man, was Darth Vader.

As Lord Vader walked through the hallways into the main command center, an array of Imperial Storm Troopers, admirals, generals, and commanders alike, stopped dead in their tracks and saluted the dark lord, with fear in their eyes. He approached a shrivlled old man, covered in black robes, and stood beside him. The two looked out of the window of their Star Destroyer, looking directly at the planet Eco.

What Samos did not realize is, the Empire was actually ruled by the shriveled old man covered in black robes. The Emperor's title was Darth Sidious. It was clear that he was the master, and Vader was his new apprenctice.

"What is thy bidding, my master?" Lord Vader asked in his deep, sinister, mechanical voice.

"Lord Vader," the Emperor's shrill, dark voice started as he looked to his apprentice with a wrinkled face with red and yellow eyes, "see the planet that we are approaching upon? I sense a great disturbance of the Force coming from here."

"I can feel it as well," Vader replied.

Sidious continued, "Yes, this planet is strong with the Force, through two beings, I sense. A boy, and a girl. These two are the only two beings that are strong with it, yet they just begun studying the Jedi Arts, and they improve rapidly…"

"The children of the Force," Vader realized.

"Prescisely, my apprentice," The Emperor replied, "which is why we are out here in the unknown Outer-Rim terretories to seek them out. They must NOT become Jedi. This will be the first of many systems that will fall under complete control of our new Empire. This one will be swift and effortless to conquer. Their defense mechanisms will be inferior to us!"

The apprentice affirmed, "Yes, my master."

The master continued, "Hunt down the Force-sensitive boy and girl. I sense that they are in the same place. Destroy their master, and their allies, and order them to serve under our control. If they refuse, execute them. When you have done that, search for any resources that would be beneficial to our project."

Vader asked, "How will I know who they are? Their Names? What they look like?"

"Search you feelings, Lord Vader," Sidious calmly replied, "You will find the answers to all of your questions once you see them. You will find a way to destroy them."

"Yes, My master," Vader bowed.

"You have been well-trained for this moment, my young apprenctice," the Emperor encouraged, "This is your first true test as an official Sith Lord. They will be of no match for you. Now, go forth and do what must be done. Find the children, destroy their allies, and rob their resources. Do not hesitate, show no mercy. Unleash all of your strength, your anger, your hatred, and you will become more powerful that what you are now. This will bring us one step closer to complete dominance of the galaxy, like you have always dreamed of."

"And so it shall be done, my master." Vader rose, looked at his master for the last time, and left the command center. He departed from his Star Destroyer onto an Imperial shuttle that flew deep into the planet's atmosphere in the deep of the night. For hours, Vader searched this planet near and far in search of Jak and Keira.

Meanwhile, back at Spargus, Jak and Keira were headed back to Sig's palace to face their final test. The two have done so well in their accelerated training, already mastering the ways of the force through meditation, lightsaber combat, and mind techniques that allowed them to control and move objects and people. Within lest than a month the two heroes have all but mastered every single aspect of becoming a Jedi. However, one final test from Samos awaited them…

"I've gotta say, we've done pretty good so far," Jak started, "none of this is half-bad!"

"I know," Keira continued, "I actually have a really positive attitude about this!"

"This mission is gonna be cake," Jak replied. "I can feel it!"

"No doubt!" Keira confirmed.

The two new Jedi walked into the throne room inside the palace, only to see their Ottsel companions tied up and hanging above the ceiling. Despite their mouths being taped shut they cried for help relentlessly.

"DAX!" Jak yelled upward.

"TESS!" Keira followed.

"Don't worry! We'll get you both down-" as soon as Jak said this, an army of black-cloaked men bursted through the windows. They turn around and they see more of them burst through the double-doors. They all looked the same, each with grey armor and a white mask with red stripes, with small rectangular slits for their eyes. They surrounded Jak and Keira, lightsabers drawn. They were all red. Jak went on to finish,"-As soon as we deal with these guys!"

"They're here." Keira trembled with fear. She believed that this was the Empire that they have been waiting for.

"Relax honey," Jak said to her, calming her nerves, "we'll take 'em all together."

With this, they both crouched and spread their hands wide open, unleashing a massive wave of force energy that flew all of the Sith Acolytes backward. Then Jak and Keira drew their lightsabers and immediately went to work. They used all of their knowledge and they put it to the test. They sliced and diced each warrior, severing heads, limbs, and even gutting them. They even used the force to push, pull, and knock out their opponents. It wasn't until halfway through the ambush that they realized that these warriors were only prototype robots constructed for their final test. They made short work of these drones, and noticed that Daxter and Tess were still tied together.

One of the Sith robots struggled to get up, and then leaped into the air with its lightsaber drawn, its tip aiming at the two Ottsels.

"Uhh…Jak?" Daxter gulped in fear. In response, Jak threw his lightsaber like a boomerang towards the rope, and severd it along with the Sith robot's head, just before it struck Daxter and Tess. The two Ottsels fell, screaming as gravity dragged them down. Then, Keira held out her left hand, and used the force grip to stop gravity before they hit the ground. They levitated, and stared at Keira, amazed that she could use the force to save them. Then she gently set them down, and removed the tape covering their mouths.

"You all right?" Daxter turned to Tess, noticing that she was traumatized by the events that had just occurred.

"Yes!" Tess exclaimed, relieved. "Oh, thank heavens for you two! I thought we were gonna die!"

"Yes, good show you two!" Samos barged in with bravado and praise. "That was most impressive."

"Say, what gives, grandpa!?" Daxter intruded, "You nearly had all four of us killed!"

"I was about to say," Jak added, "If that was the Empire, it looked like a pretty lame one if you ask me."

"No it wasn't, my boy," Samos replied, "that was a lesson for you two: To never become complacent with your powers. The moment you think you are invincible is the very same moment when you are the most fragile. It's a habit that often leads to the Dark Side. Be mindful of that."

"How did you know we were being complacent?" Jak asked.

"I heard you two talking about how easy training for a Jedi was when you walked in," Samos answered. He then continued the conversation to both him and Keira, "You forget, it takes even some of the greatest Jedi Knights many years to master the ways of the Force. With the aid of eco, it took you both nearly a month, and I knew that it was quite possible for you two to become two of the most powerful Jedi in history. That's why it was the perfect time to unleash the mock-warriors that Torn and Ashelin built."

"That tattoo-faced mother-" Daxter was about to curse out Torn until Jak covered his mouth before it got out of hand. Jak calmed down his Ottsel sidekick, and Samos continued:

"I had to surprise you for your final test, to see if you can use all the techniques that I have taught you to good use, without my aid. You two have proved that, and it also proves that the bond that you've tied for your marriage, gets stronger and stronger as the days go on, and I'm proud of that. You are now ready to face your biggest challenge yet. You both are now ready to face the Empire!"

"Thank you for everything, daddy!" Keira exclaimed, running up to her father and embracing him. This was perfect timing, as Sig, Torn, Ashelin, and Jinx all rushed into the throne room. They all had looks of panic written on each of their faces, and just when they were about to utter words, Jak raised his right hand towards them, and forced them not to speak. He knew that the Empire in its realist form arrived on Eco, even before he heard the TIE fighters blasting towards the ground and also before he heard the citizens screeching for help as the Storm Troopers pulled them out of their cottages.

"NOW, they're here." Jak spoke, coldly.


	3. Chapter 3: Battle for Eco

Chapter 3: Battle for Eco

After Jak said this, he and the rest of the gang rushed out of the palace and towards the underground garage.

"My wastelanders tried all they could, Cherry," Sig said to Jak as they were sprinting. "They had no shot against them."

"Well, luckily we got Ratchet's army on standby in Haven," Jak assured him, "I'll contact him as soon as we get out of here."

They entered Sig's garage, with three desert-type vehicles inside, all with armed weapons on top of their rollcages. Jak, Keira, Daxter, and Tess hopped in the Sand Shark, while Torn, Ashelin, and Jinx manned the Dune Hopper. Sig and Samos piloted the most massive desert vehicle of the three, the Gila Stomper.

"Alright here's what we're gonna do," Jak told his three passengers. "Dax," as he give him his blaster, "Take this and cover our asses from behind. Keira," as he gives her his father's gunstaff, "take this and cover our sides. Tess," as he gives her the portable hologram communicator, "while you're navigating what's in front of me, dial up Ratchet and Clank so I can alert them and their army that the Empire is here. Hang on everybody. This is gonna be one helluva bumpy ride."

The three vehicles took off, and immediately they faced open fire as they escaped the Spargus city walls out into the wasteland. There, on the sandy, rocky, and treacherous desert terrain, hundreds of TIE fighters and Imperial Storm Troopers riding zoomers chased them down, blasting at the three desert vehicles. They managed well for a long time, as Jinx's explosives and Daxter's on-target shots with the Vulcan Fury hindered them. Still, there was panic within the cockpit of the Sand Shark, as Jak dialed up Ratchet, who was at Haven Palace.

"Ratchet! Can you hear me, buddy?" Jak yelled as he was blasting Imperials while Ratchet came on the hologram.

"Yeah Jak, I got you loud and clear. What's going on?" Ratchet asked.

"We got big problems man," Jak continued, "The Empire is here! And they're on their way to Haven City. If we lose our city our whole planet is lost. Man your troops around the city walls and alert the freedom league as well. I'm coming as fast as I can! Hurry up! Do it now!"

In the palace, Ratchet knew this was urgent, and he wasn't sure if his army could handle the hot pursuit of the Empire. He could tell by the sounds of the blasters and explosions back and forth, that his good friend and comrade was in trouble, and he needed immediate assistance. "I've got guys on their way to help you out now," Ratchet replied, "Hang in there, dude, help is on the way!" With this, Ratchet tuned out and looked upon his group of soldiers in the war room. They were all tall, wide, bulked up soldiers adorned with dark-green armor, and their faces were covered with helmets of the same color, with yellow visors surrounding their eyes. This coalition of soldiers was better known as the Halo Freedom Fighters, one of the most powerful armies in the galaxy, albeit their first involvement in the ongoing conflict between the Jedi and the Sith. Ratchet proved their worth to them, and was quickly elevated to Master Chief, the highest ranking in the army. He was confident that his soldiers could bring down this Empire, yet he also knew that he had never seen the Empire before, so there were some uncertainties. Nevertheless, he was determined to release his soldiers onto the battlefield, on behalf of the planet Eco, and the rest of the galaxy.

"All right, men," Ratchet turned to his soldiers, "This is the moment we've been preparing for. The Empire has arrived in full force and is heading our direction. Assist the King of Haven City and our allies as they are in grave danger in the wastelands. Man your star fighters and take down as many TIEs and other warships as you can. Do whatever you have to do to make sure that those Imperial metal heads don't get past these city walls." He concluded with gusto, "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"

"YES, MASTER CHIEF!" They retorted, and retreated out of the war room, into the war zone. Hundreds of thousands of Halo Soldiers manned their star ships and flew to each side of the perimeter of Haven City. Hundreds of soldiers stayed behind assisted all of the Krimzon Guards from the Freedom League that patrolled the city's grounds. Ratchet and Clank were the last ones to leave the war room, and they walked outside into the balcony of the palace. Clank transformed himself into a jet-pack, strapping himself onto Ratchet's back, and flew to the very top of the Palace, with Jak and Keira's bedroom chamber below them. He grabbed on to the top spire and looked towards the direction the others were coming in. He saw the TIE fighters and Star Destroyers already opening fire towards Haven City, and he saw his ships and star fighters fighting back.

They were fighting valiantly, but he could see that the Empire was slowly but surely advancing. He saw many of his soldiers fall to explosions and blasts inflicted by the TIE Fighters. On the same token, he saw many TIEs fall as well. Regardless, he could tell that Imperial forces easily overwhelmed the resources and firepower his Halo Army had. He became worried for his friends fighting and racing their way towards the palace as fast as they could, because the chances of them reaching there too late, quickly increased.

"I hope you know what you're doing pal," He said quietly, speaking to his struggling friend out in the wasteland. Ratchet then took his blaster and flew down towards the city grounds, and stood at the front entrance of the palace, waiting for the Empire to emerge through the walls of Haven City.

Meanwhile, out in the wasteland, the rest of the gang struggled to outrun and outlast the Imperial Army. It was quite obvious that their firepower was far too superior compared to the three desert vehicles, yet they are all still racing towards Haven City. Still, danger lurked around them.

Several Imperial Storm Troopers riding zoomers flanked on the right side of the Sand Shark, and Keira used Jak's gunstaff to fend them all off. Daxter shot down several TIE fighters with the Vulcan fury, but was running low on ammo. Luckily for everybody, they were all inching closer and closer to Haven City

"The city walls are dead ahead, Jak!" Tess yelled.

"I see 'em!" Jak replied.

"Watch out for those fighters!" Tess soon shrieked as a swarm of TIE fighters opened fire onto the three desert vehicles. Jak tried to shoot them down with the Sand Shark's machine guns, but it was obvious that one desert vehicle would soon be overwhelmed by the combined blast of a fleet of fighters. The left front tire of the car exploded from the impact of the blasters, and the car soon barrel rolled all across the dunes. Still, Jak, Keira, Daxter, and Tess jumped out of the vehicle before it started flipping over. The four fell down on to the sand facedown. They were disoriented for a short time, but were unharmed.

"Is everyone all right?" Jak asked his three companions. They all groaned, but gave him a thumbs up as they tried to get up. They all looked over and saw that the Dune Hooper and the Gila Stomper were both destroyed. Keira and Tess both immediately felt remorse for the others, as they both assumed that they were both dead. But Jak could sense that they were still alive, and were making their way towards Haven City.

"We can't waste our time worrying about the others," Jak began to assure Keira, Daxter, and Tess that they were okay. "they're tough and I'm sure they're making their way towards the palace now. That's what we have to do now. We still have time to make it to the palace before he (Vader) does. That's our job, and we have to accomplish it for our people."

Suddenly, a shadow cast upon the four of them. They looked up, and saw a giant metal leg ready to step on them. It was a leg of a tall, robotic, dog-like structure, that blasting towards the walls of Haven City.

"Look out!" Keira exclaimed, frightened at the rapid rate that the leg was coming down on them. They all rolled towards the right, dodging the impact the giant step had. As they got up from the sand, they looked at the massive footprint with the Imperial symbol planted on the sand, and looked up towards the giant robot.

They discovered that this massive structure was an Imperial Walker, and they noticed there were three of them walking towards the city walls, aiming their guns towards the palace.

"Keira," Jak spoke towards his wife, "Do you have one of those grapple guns handy?"

"You didn't even have to ask," Keira replied as she handed him a small silver pistol. He aimed it at the rear of the imperial walker, and it shot a steel cable with a large metal hook on the end, that grappled on the top of the giant robot.

"Everyone, grab on!" Jak commanded his three comrades. In quick response, the two ottsels hopped on Jak's shoulders as Keira grabbed Jak's torso tightly. As Jak released the trigger, the gun reeled them up to the top of the Imperial walker. As they stood on the walker's back, their confidence was restored. The walls were within jumping distance and one of the palace's support towers were close by.

Once the imperial walker was close enough to Haven City, as it prepared to knock down its walls, Jak drew his lightsaber, and used it to decapitate the Imperial walker, causing it to shut down and fall forward. With haste, the four of them ran and jumped from the edge of the fallen machine. They hopped over the slums, and landed onto the streets.

What can only be described from here is pure, maniacal chaos within the walls of Haven City. All they saw were buildings burned, torn down, Imperial Troopers attacking, and people screaming, terrified, and helpless against the Empire that they have never heard of or seen before. All of the citizens, men, women, and children alike screamed with horror as they were chased and shot down by storm troopers, "Where is our king!? Why isn't he here to help us!? Who will save us!? We're doomed!"

After he heard these screams, Jak immediately felt the shock of guilt, and it caused him pain inside, pain that stimulated his dark powers only slightly. He was able to control it, but he became worried of his dark power tendencies conflicting with the force.

"GET THEM!" A storm trooper suddenly yelled, and soon at least twenty of them charged towards Jak, Daxter, Keira, and Tess. Daxter then took it upon himself to spark the defensive attack, as he took Jak's scatter gun out of his holster, and immediately opened fire towards the storm troopers, knocking several of them on their backs.

Soon, the effort from Daxter would fail, as several storm troopers, would restrain him and destroy his weapon in the process. "You punks better not piss me off!" Daxter cursed at them, "You're not gonna like what happens when you all do!" Soon, he became angry, and his skin created a small purple hue. Scared on what was to happen next, Jak rushed in with his gunstaff, and used it to free Daxter, thus calming him down. Jak struck at them with it's hilt and head, then opened fire towards the ones that were far in range. That bought Keira and Tess enough time to rush towards one of the four palace support towers nearby. They ran to the elevator safely, but were waiting anxiously for the other two.

"Come on!" Keira yelled, "We don't have much time! Move it, you two!" Jak and Daxter would rush as fast as they could towards the tower, with blasters firing at them from all directions, and the door of the elevator closing fast. They both jumped into the elevator just before it closed, unharmed.

"That was close," Jak told his wife as the elevator went up, "I didn't want to leave anyone else behind-"

"Oh, and like you had the same consideration for the others that we left behind?" Keira retorted. "You nearly had all of us in here killed by those Imperial metal-heads! Are you insane!?"

"Keira, honey," Jak calmly replied. "I'm sure the others are fine. Like I told you back there (on the wasteland) that we still have a chance to save the palace. Stick to the plan, and we'll be all right. For now, we have a bridge to cross."

The door opened, and they walked towards the bridge. It was a fairly long bridge, with several obstacles such as electric rings and spiked floors constructed with it. However, the palace was in plain sight. Surrounding the bridge was a perfect blend of red and grey skies, with a thunderstorm raging all over Haven City.

Confident about their chances, Jak assured everyone with him, "See? No problem."

"Look out!" Tess suddenly shrieked, as a trio of TIE fighters opened fire towards them. The head of the tower was knocked off, and there was no turning back for the four heroes.

"RUN!" Jak commanded his wife with panic. With the ottsels on their shoulders, Keira led the way and used her pistols to fire at the TIE fighters, while Jak ran in tow, using his gunstaff to shoot them down. They ran as fast as they can, jumping through all the obstacles and dodging the fast bullets that came from the Imperial fighters. Keira was able to take one down by shooting at the TIE fighter's wing, while Jak obliterated another by shooting at its cockpit. However, a third was still looming, and circling them as they got closer and closer to the edge of the palace.

Just before they got there, the TIE fighter shot down the edge of the bridge, taking the ledge of the palace with it. Keira was able to use the force to jump through the fire and smoke, and have enough height to land safely. Jak however, was not so lucky, as he fell through the destruction the TIE fighter caused. Luckily, he used his gunstaff to stop himself from falling by stabbing the palace wall with its sharp edges. He hung there for a few minutes. Keira thought for sure that her long-time love had died, until the smoke cleared and saw him hanging.

"Are you all right?" Keira shouted below towards her husband.

"I'm good!" Jak replied, "Just hangin' around here."

With that, the TIE fighter came flying back towards him. The Imperial pilot thrusted his aircraft towards him at full speed, opening fire on him. Like a gymnast, Jak dodged the blast by rotating himself around the gunstaff while still holding on to it. When he got close enough to him, Jak let go of his father's weapon, and stuck his feet out towards the windshield of the TIE fighter, knocking the pilot out and causing it to crash into the palace wall.

Keira stood there with her hands covering her mouth, thinking for sure that her husband had died. But her confidence in him was restored as he saw him summersault from twenty feet in the air, and landed on his feet safely.

She ran to him with tears of joy and spoke to him, "You're alive!"

"Did you ever doubt me for a second, baby?" Jak soothed his wife. They embraced each other and kissed. Daxter and Tess hopped down from their shoulders, and became immediately agitated with them kissing right in front of them, especially since the mission is not over yet.

"HEY LOVEBIRDS!" Jinx suddenly shouted towards them from afar, interrupting Jak and Keira's moment of intimacy. "QUIT SMOOCHIN' WILL YA!? WE GOT A PLANET TO SAVE REMEMBA!?"

"Told you they were alive," Jak softly bragged to Keira. They came together at the main balcony of the palace, all of them relieved that they survived the Empire's vicious attack.

"We thought we lost ya, Cherry," Sig told Jak, softly punching him in the shoulder, "Glad you're tough enough to stick with us just a little bit longer."

"And we thought you all were dead!" Daxter told them. "Where in the hell did you guys go?"

"The right way," Torn softly hissed at the ottsel with anger, "Unlike you guys who went the wrong way, almost got yourselves killed."

"Oh, and like you got here unscathed, tattoo-face!?" Daxter scolded him as he got into his face, "We carved through the best crap the Empire handed to us! What the hell did you even do!?"

"Can we just, not argue with each other for at least one moment!?" Ashelin suddenly interjected. "There is still time for us to contact other reigons for outside help before that Vader guy ends up infiltrating this palace. I don't see any signs of Imperials crawling around the palace halls, so that's a good sign. We must head to the war room now and contact the other cities on this planet for help."

"She's right," Samos agreed. "We must make haste! Move, now!"

Everyone got inside the palace halls and raced through the hallways to get to the war room. Jak unlocked the door with his key, and the door slid open. All of them were stunned, disappointed, scared, and angry at what they saw inside the war room. It was the worst thing that could have happened. They knew they were introduced to doom as they heard the mechanical breathing that came out of that room.

The man that stood up from the farthest chair of the circular table was Darth Vader, and he had Ratchet levitating from the ground, reaching for his neck as if Vader was choking him, and Clank lying on the table nearly destroyed.

The plan failed, and the mission was lost. They were too late to save Haven City.


	4. Chapter 4: Jak's First Duel

Chapter 4: Jak 's First Duel

However, the gang was still confident that there is still hope to save Haven City by only vanquishing Darth Vader. Yet they were angry for what his Empire had done to nearly half the planet. Driven out of rage, Sig shoved his way through everyone and aimed his peacemaker at Darth Vader. As Sig opened fire towards him, Vader flung Ratchet towards the electric sphere that came out of the weapon, and threw him against Sig, knocking him over. Then, Torn and Ashelin broke through and drew their pistols, shooting at the dark lord. Effortlessly, the Sith Lord blocked all of their shots with his own hands, and pushed Ashelin and Torn against everyone, knocking everyone down and forcing them outside the war room.

The attention quickly turned to Ratchet's wellbeing, as he was struggling to get up. It was clear that he was too weak to get up on his own, and was also heartbroken that he left his companion behind for dead. Jak and Keira assisted him to stand up on his own two feet.

"Are you all right?" Keira asked out of concern for Jak's fallen friend.

"Yeah…I'll…be okay…." Ratchet grunted as he stood up. He looked dizzy, disoriented, and somewhat confused as to what just happened. He continued, "Boy, that Vader guy is not one to be messed with. Even without guns or bombs he's still more powerful than anyone."

"What did he do to you?" Jak asked him.

"Well," Ratchet struggled to continue, "He stood outside the palace doors, alone, before any storm troopers showed up within the city. I ordered all of my men to take him down, but somehow he killed them, and destroyed Clank in the process. I tried to stop him myself, but he ended up torturing me, until he forced me to tell him where the two of you were. I'm sorry I sold you out. I couldn't take his torture anymore. I want to go back in there and take him on but I don't know how I can-"

"Ratchet," Jak stopped him, patting him on the shoulder. "It's all right. We knew that we had to deal with him somehow either way. In fact, Keira," He turned to his wife, "Heal him up, and get the others out of here as safely and as quickly as you can. I'll hold him off."

"Jak," Keira interjected, "I want you to think about this without getting angry: You literally just finished training today. Just because we finished Jedi training ten times faster than most people doesn't mean we are actually Jedi. There's still a ton of work to be done and only Jedi can fight against Sith Lords. You've seen how powerful this guy is already. Is your life for ours really worth it? Is killing this guy and saving the planet really worth sacrificing our marriage for? Face it; we aren't ready for this type of fight yet. You aren't ready yet. It's not worth it."

"Keira, I must face him alone," Jak told her, "I have to do this myself." He kissed her, and walked towards the door.

"Uh…Jak? Buddy?" Daxter approached him, tugging at his pant leg, "Don't you think you need your trusty sidekick along for the ride? Like we always have been doing it?"

"I said," Jak retorted to his ottsel sidekick, "I have to do this myself."

"Jak! Keira yelled at him, running towards him and grabbing his shoulder.

"Let him go, Keira!" Samos commanded his daughter, "It is the calling of the Force. I sense it too. This is the first step for him to fulfill his destiny. He must face him in order for him to become a Jedi. He has to do it at some point. Why not now while there is still a chance this planet can be saved?" He then turned his attention to Jak, "My boy, remember your training. Do not give in to any temptations that he could give you. I've trained you well enough to control your eco powers with the Force. Use them to defeat him, but don't get lost within them. You are strong enough to overcome the dark side. I know it."

"Thanks, Samos." Jak said as he slowly looked back at him as the door opened. Reluctantly, Keira released her husband's shoulder, and Jak walked into the now empty, desolated war room.

Everything was disorganized, disheveled, burnt, and destroyed. Jak looked at the center of the circular table and saw a burned, dented, and brutally damaged Clank laying face up with his eyes closed. Jak took the beaten and unconscious robot and placed him inside the brown holster on his back. From that holster he took out and looked at his new weapon; his light saber. After the destruction of his father's gunstaff and his own blasters from the carnage that came from getting to the palace, the bronze precursor stick was the only weapon Jak had left. It was that, his eco powers, and the Force by his side.

A door on Jak's left side suddenly opened. It led into the grand hallway of the palace, the place where Jak and Keira had their wedding and reception. This time it stood as an empty, circular battleground, with no one around except for Jak and Darth Vader to face each other. Jak could hear the dark lord breathing louder and louder, inviting the young hero to come face him.

He walked out of the door, into one of the balconies. The door shut behind him. Jak stared at Vader for a few moments, while Vader looked directly at him. He jumped from the balcony and landed on the floor, just about ten feet away from the dark lord. Jak would then pace around him, out of fear and out of anxiety, but also out of courage and out of confidence.

"Let me guess, you must be Darth Vader," Jak stating the obvious.

"That is correct…Jak," Vader affirmed.

"First of all, how the hell do you know my name? And second of all, why the hell are you destroying my city!?" Jak asked out of anger.

"Both of the questions you ask me only require the same answer," Vader continued, "The Emperor sensed a strong spark of the force coming from this planet, in this specific area. I searched this planet near and far for you and your companion, and thanks to your friend, I find you here. Now, the Emperor told me that there were two of you. Where is the other one? Where is Keira?"

Jak was shocked and terrified that Darth Vader learned all about them in such short of time. He retorted, "I'm not telling you, because you're never gonna find her. Why do you want us so bad? Out of all the people here on this planet with eco abilities, why do you want me and Keira?"

"Because I sense that you and Keira are very strong with these so called, 'eco abilities,'" Vader told him. "Which means you two are strong with the force. Especially you, Jak."

"How so?" Jak asked him, "Keira is more powerful than you think. She's done her fair share of killing metal heads with me, and even had the guts to stand up to the worst of Dark Makers, and fended them all off. I assure you when she gets here, you'll be her next victim."

Vader chuckled, "Your arrogance has blinded you, boy. She is very powerful, yes. But the difference between you and her is; I sense a great darkness from you. Right now I can feel your anger boiling within you, wanting to release itself from your body and on to me. That kind of power is so special, it can wipe out a whole planet."

Jak began to feel uneasy. As he slowly paced in circles around the Sith Lord, memories of his use of dark eco began to flash within his mind, causing him pain. He tried to ignore the flashbacks, and the taunting of Darth Vader, but the more he kept going on and on, the more pain he inflicted on Jak's mind. It was as if Vader was begging Jak to challenge him.

Vader continued, "Your power is so lethal it can be put to greater use for the dark side. Your wife's abilities will serve as a valuable asset for the Empire as well. Think of what we can accomplish together, Jak. Your yearning to become the greatest hero in the galaxy has driven you to this grand opportunity to fulfill your destiny. Join me, and together, the three of us will destroy all of our enemies, including the last of the Jedi, and even the Emperor himself. Then you and your wife will accomplish the very dream that you two envisioned: to save the galaxy. Your family will become the most powerful dynasty in the universe, and I will serve you however you see fit. Isn't that what you wanted, Jak? Power?"

At this point, Jak had heard enough out of the talkative cyborg. Although his offer sounded enticing he sensed that something was wrong. He envisioned his future if he joined Vader's side, and all he saw in his brief flash-forward was corruption, deception from the Emperor, which would ultimately lead to him killing Keira, and then Vader slaying him anyway. Thankfully for him, he used the force to see through Darth Vader's false promises, and he was not going to have any of it.

"No," Jak said in a quiet, vengeful tone, "I won't join you. I refuse to betray her, my friends, and the legacy that my father had left me. I refuse to give in to the dark side!"

Vader began to threaten him in response, "If you will not join me, not only you will die, but your friends will die, your citizens will die, and she (Keira) will fall to me. Everything on your precious little planet will be lost. Your father's legacy will end here under my blade."

"How do you expect to kill everyone I know…" Jak began to ask him as he walked towards him with anger, clenching his light saber in his right hand with a fist of rage, "…when you die under MY blade?" He finished asking the question, and drew his weapon. The blue beam of light extended towards the front of the villain's mask. His first steps of heroics did not faze the Sith Lord standing before him.

"You are unwise to have your first duel with a Sith Lord, boy, especially me." Vader warned him, "I assure you, the dark side of the Force is more powerful than you know. So what makes you think that you can defeat me without using your hatred? Your anger?"

Jak answered him, raising the tip of his sword closer to his mask, "You threatened my people, you insulted my one true love, you damned my friends, and you disrespected my father. You deserve to die for what you have done today. It's justice!"

In response, Darth Vader drew his red-beamed light saber, and barely touched his blade with Jak's. He told the great warrior, "This is just the beginning, 'hero'"

The duel was on. Jak charged first with three strikes in three different directions. Vader blocked them all, and he would utilize three offensive strikes of his own, faster and harder. Jak managed to block all three of them but the brute, swift swings from the Sith Lord caused him to lose his footing, and thus trip backwards. He was able to spring up quickly though, and he swung twice at his opponent, but missed.

Jak then pointed his light saber back at him, not intimidated by the dark lord's swordsmanship. Vader struck at him several times, driving Jak back towards the wall as he was blocking all of his shots. When he got close enough, Jak bounced himself off the wall behind him, and flipped over his adversary, changing his position. Then Jak utilized offensive strikes towards his opponent, driving him back to the center of the ballroom. They stopped swinging at each other when they got there.

Darth Vader was impressed with his opponent's craftsmanship with a lightsaber. He complimented Jak, "You have learned much in such short of time, young one. Your skills with a light saber are most excellent. I am truly impressed."

He continued, "But how keen is your knowledge with the Force? That remains to be the question."

Out of vengeance, the two swordsmen kept swinging at eachother until they held their blades together in a stalemate. Then, both of them reached out their left hands towards each other, almost touching one another. They were trying to use the force to shove each other out of the way.

Meanwhile, within the confined hallways of the palace, the rest of the gang, led by Keira, tried to rush their way out of the palace, until a blockade of storm troopers blocked the main elevator shaft. They aimed their guns at the renegades, and all of them looked confused as to what to do next.

"You go nowhere, rebel scum!" One of the storm troopers bellowed at them.

"Stand down in the name of the Galactic Empire!" Another one followed.

They turned around, and rushed outside on the palace rooftop. They were hammered with rain showers as well as shots from the blasters armed by the Imperial Troopers. They rushed until they slid on the edge of the roof, looking thousands of feet down below them. They saw blasts, explosions, and the screams from people and soldiers, as they were getting hurt or killed. Then, three more groups of storm troopers flanked the gang on the left and on the right. They were surrounded.

An army of storm troopers held them at gunpoint, and it seemed like this was the end for them. That is, until Daxter stepped in front of them.

"Surrender while you still can," the lead storm trooper commanded them, "You're outnumbered."

"We have more than numbers, tough guy!" Daxter bragged at him with bravado, poking him in the knee. All of the imperial troopers collectively started to laugh at the ottsel that stood in front of them, not even intimidated by his bold claim. This offended the ottsel as he started to get angry at them.

"What do you have, furball?" One storm trooper taunted him, "Claws of fury!?"

"Yeah, the best he can do is scratch us to death!" Another one laughed.

"Be careful of his 'sharp' teeth!" A third one chimed in, "He may bite our heads off!"

The more they laughed and taunted at him, the angrier Daxter became. The insults that the storm troopers rained upon him caused the ottsel to transform. First, his eyes went quickly to black. He then sprouted from two feet tall, to eight feet tall. His slender shape was replaced with a muscular build. He grew fangs and tusks for teeth, and spikes that ran from his forehead to his back. His fingernails and toenails became long black claws. The more he transformed, the more the laughter subsided. It filled the Imperial troopers with fear.

"NOW, YOU WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ALL PISS ME OFF, METALHEADS!" He roared.

"THAT FURBALL IS A MONSTER!" The first storm trooper shrieked, "SHOOT AT IT!"

They all fired shots at the monster, hitting him several times in several areas, but he refused to go down. He took the first storm trooper he saw, grabbed him with his large right hand, and flung him over the roof, sending the helpless imperial trooper in a long fall towards his death. The monster clawed, kicked, and ravaged his way past hundreds of troopers, killing them in the process. To help Daxter in his cause, the rest of the gang drew their pistols, their blasters, and their bombs in a valiant effort to make a stand.

Jak and Darth Vader were still at the stalemate that they put themselves in for several moments, holding their light sabers against one another and trying to push each other out of the way. They held together until they both ejected into the air in opposite directions. Jak was jettisoned onto the ledge nearest to the war room, while Vader flew onto the ledge nearest to the hallway that led to the royal commons. They both got up, and then jumped towards each other, light sabers in hand ready to strike each other.

Both of them flew at least one hundred feet in the air before they met each other, and they struck against their swords parallel to the center of the grand hallway. However, Vader managed to elbow Jak in the jaw, sending him on a sudden fall towards the ground and knocking his light saber out of his hand, retracting the blue beam.

"All too easy," Vader spoke softly to himself as he landed on his feet. He turned around and walked towards his adversary, struggling to get up. Through the Force, he lifted his opponent off the ground and had him in a chokehold. Jak was gasping for breath, unsure of what was going on since he was levitated off the ground and his oxygen circulation was cut off without anyone touching him. "Perhaps you weren't as strong as the Emperor thought." Vader insulted the fallen hero, throwing him back on the ground violently. He coldly finished to his opponent, "Which means dispatching you will be an easy task after all.

Jak turned himself over, looking face up, and noticed that the brass chandelier was shaking violently above him. Not only was the chandelier made up of a hard metal, but it was also scattered with hundreds of candles, and its circumference was four times smaller than the grand hallway itself. Jak figured out that it was Darth Vader using the Force to drop it upon him, meaning an instant and bloody death under a great fire. After a few moments, Vader released the chandelier, and Jak concentrated on the falling apparatus as it quickly drew closer too him. At the last minute he put his hands up towards it, stopping the chandelier from killing him at the last minute, and extinguishing the candles.

"Impressive," the Sith Lord commended Jak. He threw the broken chandelier towards Vader, thinking that it would kill him. Instead, Vader drew his light saber again, and sliced through the giant piece of debris into smaller fragments of metal. He jumped up ten feet in the air, and positioned himself to strike against the defenseless hero. Jak reached out his left hand towards his weapon, and it retracted into his palm like a magnet. Just before Vader's blade made contact with his face, Jak drew his light saber, and blocked Vader's violent strike, and held against it.

"Most Impressive," Vader told him sarcastically. Out of anger, Jak pushed Vader out of the way, sending him flying onto the ledge of the war room. He sprung back up, and shot electric beams of force lightning, fused with dark eco. Vader blocked it with his light saber. He was beginning to like what he saw out of his opponent. The anger within him was waiting to jump out of his soul and into his bloodstream, unleashing the warrior's wrath.

Jak jumped from the center of the grand ballroom onto the ledge that his enemy stood on, and charged at him, striking at the dark lord at all different directions. Vader was prepared enough to block all of Jak's shots, but he was being driven back by his adversary's strong blows. Halfway through the balcony, they held their blades against each other for a second and then released. That gave Darth Vader the opportunity to elbow Jak in the face, catching him off guard.

"Who ever your master is has taught you well," Vader complimented the hero. "But not well enough."

"How do you figure?" Jak asked in reply.

"Because your anger and your hatred for me is still buried deep inside of you," Vader told him. "Release it! Let your fear consume you and take over your mind and soul. It is your only way to destroy me."

Jak was about to unleash his dark powers onto his enemy, but took only a second to think of the consequences, and drew them back. The duel went on, and he continued to drive the dark lord back further and further.

The gang was still holding their own against the thousands of storm troopers, despite their small numbers. Daxter, still in his dark form, was still ravaging through the horde of Imperial troopers, but he was becoming noticeably tired. He was not attacking as brute or as swiftly as he was before. Keira saw this, and became concerned for Jak's companion. She threw her pistols over the roof, and took out her light saber. Samos immediately grew worried for his daughter.

"Keira, don't do this!" Samos commanded her, "Revealing your true self to the Empire means instant death!"

"Well if Jak can reveal his Jedi-self to the Empire, why cant I!?" She retorted at her father. "We have friends that are in trouble, in case you haven't noticed!"

"You're outnumbered!" Samos talked back. "Jak is fighting one on one. You can't win against a thousand! It's impossible!"

"If it were impossible, then why are the eight of us standing off against ten-thousand!?" She yelled at him. "It's the same odds! Jak is battling a powerful being-"

"Because that's a part of HIS DESTINY!" Samos yelled back. "YOUR TIME IS NOT HERE YET! IT WILL BE HERE SOON! HAVE PATIENCE FOR ONCE!"

"Look dad," Keira quietly assured him, "You let Jak go in there and fight of a SITH LORD! You let him do that, but you won't let me fend off a bunch of bucket heads that aren't even close to Vader's power, COMBINED!? You HAVE to let me do this, especially in the name of OUR friends, OUR planet, OUR HOME!"

With that, she turned around, and walked towards the struggling, weary, mutated ottsel. She could hear her father yelling back at her, commanding her to stand down to save her life. She ignored him, and kept walking forward. "I'm tougher than you think, daddy." She spoke softly to herself.

Daxter became exhausted. He couldn't go any further. As storm troopers in all different directions were hitting him, he began to shrink back to his normal self, and fell to the ground face down. They surrounded him, but ceased fire. One trooper held his gun towards the back of his head, and was prepared to extinguish him. Daxter bowed his head in shame, as he figured that this was it for him.

"Not so tough now are you, fur ball?" the storm trooper scoffed at him. Just before he pulled the trigger, a purple beam of light pierced through his chest. It was the blade of Keira's light saber. She drew it out of the fallen trooper's body as he fell, and she stared all of them down with defiance. They were mesmerized.

"Oh boy…" Daxter whispered to himself, struggling to get up.

"SHE'S A JEDI!" One trooper exclaimed, "KILL HER!" With this command, they all opened fire towards her. Amazingly, Keira was blocking shots with her weapon, and dodging bullets as well.

"DAX! GET OUT OF HERE!" She commanded the ottsel. Daxter sprinted out of the scene to aid the others, while Keira began to slice and dice the Imperial Troopers that tried to dispatch her. Samos watched his daughter fight against this army in amazement. Even though the Imperials had overwhelming numbers, they were no match for that one tough girl.

While his wife was outside holding her own against the overwhelming numbers of the Empire, Jak was facing some serious difficulty with dueling against the Empire's most notorious assassin, Darth Vader. However, despite the fact that he has struggled against him, he did gain a slight advantage over the dark lord, as he was driving him back towards the other end of the long ledge. They struck at each other, spinning their blades and their bodies, hopping over one another like leap frogs trying to gain the upper hand.

It wasn't until later that Jak had Darth Vader pinned right where he wanted him. Vader's back was facing towards the ledge and Jak was ready to drive him over. They crossed blades, and Vader shoved Jak backward with his elbow. Instantly, Jak used the Force to push Vader over the ledge. The dark lord landed awkwardly on his back, but quickly sprung back up. The situation that he was in was too familiar to him. His opponent had the high ground like he wanted. He knew that he could not afford to make the same mistake twice.

So Vader withdrew his light saber and used every ounce of anger and hatred against the hero. He lifted his hands up, and he concentrated deeply on his enemy, and the ledge that he was standing on. The ledge began to shake violently underneath Jak's feet, and he fell down as the broken ledge descended towards the ground.

Jak knew that he had to act quickly to stop the Sith Lord once and for all. He noticed one of the massive, immense pillar-statues of his ancestor, Mar, acting as a support for the ceiling. It was also attached to the massive window that spread the length of the great hall. He knew that bringing that pillar down would collapse the ceiling, and possibly the whole palace onto him. It could destroy his home, but that was his only chance.

He concentrated on the pillar, and used all of his mental strength from the Force to make it budge from the wall. It was much more challenging and more time consuming for him to break the pillar than it was for his adversary to collapse the ledge. After spending a long time and an astronomical amount of mental strength, trying to get it to budge off of the wall, he dethatched it. Once it broke free, he released it, causing it to fall down towards Darth Vader.

Vader looked up and saw the massive apparatus falling closer and closer towards him, and he caught the pillar at the last minute, levitating just inches above his head. The giant window had also broken free and parts of the roof fell down as well, but nowhere near where Vader was. Staring his enemy down with great vengeance and furious anger, Vader threw the pillar towards Jak with full force. Stunned and scared of the quick closing rate the pillar had coming towards him, Jak tucked away his light saber, and flew towards the door behind him. He landed on the stairs as pieces of stone debris were flying towards him, and he was walled in shut. There was no looking back for him now. Jak sprinted as fast as he could upstairs towards the master bedroom chamber.

The roof was collapsing upon the Sith Lord, and he knew he had to act fast. Ducking, diving, and dodging debris from every direction, Vader lept his way through the nearest door he could find, which was the door that led to the grand dining hall. Like his opponent, he was walled inside the room he entered. Unharmed and unscathed, Darth Vader scoured the remaining areas of the palace for the renegade hero, as he could sense that he was still alive, and trying to escape.


	5. Chapter 5: Escape from Home

Chapter 5: Escape From Home

While Jak was able to lose Vader inside the palace for the time being, the battle on the palace rooftop raged on. The eight heroes remaining on the rooftop were successfully holding their own against the Imperial forces…until a swarm of TIE fighters shot towards them. The battle transitioned from on the roof to in the air as many Halo ships shot down the Imperial star fighters. Nevertheless, the palace itself was becoming wounded, ally forces were taking serious casualties, and slowly but surely, Eco was becoming lost under the Empire's control.

Although Ratchet was successful in shooting down several waves of Imperial forces with his ion cannon, he was the first to realize that this battle, and this planet, would be lost. He could tell by observing his forces struggling to take down the best the Empire had. When he got the chance, he hid behind one of the palace walls and set down his weapon. He had a small tablet on his wrist, and used it to type in coordinates.

"We're not going to win this battle," He said grimly to himself as he was typing down the coordinates "There's just no way. Not a snowball's chance in hell." When he finished, he grabbed his weapon, and rejoined the fight.

Jak raced his way up the stairs until he reached the highest room in the palace, the master bedroom chamber. Jak too could sense that his city would be lost, but had no idea that the planet was going to be consumed by the Empire. Out of haste, he grabbed as many pictures and personal belongings he could fit inside his holster. He managed grab some Keira's personal belongings and favorite pieces of jewelry as well. The last two things he wanted to take were his wedding photo with Keira, and his seal of Mar necklace. These were his two prized possessions.

The seal of Mar was a bronze, Precursor emblem that was conceived by his ancestor, and passed down through several generations. Jak's father, Damas, was the last of the Mar bloodline to pass it down to him. He took the necklace and put it around his neck. He then picked up the picture frame, and stared at the picture of him kissing his bride on their wedding day. A tear shed down his face as he was looking at it. He tucked it away in his holster, and turned around to face the balcony.

"Going somewhere?" A voice suddenly bellowed. Jak turned around and was immediately struck with fear in his eyes. It was Darth Vader, standing in the opposite doorway with his light saber drawn. Before Jak could draw his weapon, Vader tossed his blade like a boomerang and cut the chandelier that stood above them. It too had flame candles, and once it hit the ground it set the whole room on fire. Jak was able to dodge the debris, but he wasn't prepared for Vader charging at him immediately afterwards.

Jinx, Torn, Ashelin, Sig, and Ratchet were using their firepower to withstand the Empire's artillery blasts, while Keira was forced to defend her father and her two ottsel companions, using her purple-bladed sword to block shots from Imperial troopers. The longer the fight went on, the more she struggled against them. The task became harder and harder for her. Samos wasn't that much of a help to her, because he was fearful of revealing his Jedi abilities to the Empire. With him, it would mean instant death.

Somehow, two storm troopers snuck behind the old green eco sage, and apprehended him. Daxter tried to fight back in retaliation, but was knocked to the side.

"This must be their master," one of them told the other, "We should take him to Lord Vader. I'm sure he'll be most pleased in dealing with him."

"No…" Keira whispered in reply. She suddenly saw a trio of TIE fighters flanking towards their side and closing in on them fast. This gave her a bright idea: '_Since I can't strike them down with this sword,'_ she thought, '_and if I deal with these two bimbos, they'll shoot us anyway. So what if I fling them towards those ships. Hmm…I think I may do that!'_

And she did just that. She levitated the two storm troopers, releasing her father, and she flew them into two of the TIE fighters, knocking the left wing off of the third one. That fighter was sent into a long but fast spiral towards the ground, and it exploded once it made impact.

Keira looked upwards towards the balcony of her bedroom chamber, and she noticed a blue beam and a red beam striking at each other. They were faint as the fog and the pouring rain vastly covered them, but she knew exactly what they were, and she became worried.

"YOU GUYS!" She yelled towards her comrades, "JAK'S IN TROUBLE! WE GOT TO HELP HIM!"

"WISH WE COULD, HONEY!" Ashlein yelled back as she was firing at storm troopers, "BUT WE GOT BIGGER PROBLEMS!"

All Keira could do at that point was wait with her light saber drawn in her hand. A tear began to roll down her face. She didn't want to see her husband die, especially if she had no control over that situation. '_He can't die,' _She thought to herself, '_Not yet…'_

The Dark Lord's anger and vengeance was fueling his rage with every strike from his weapon. He struck at the hero's blade several times, left and right, driving his opponent backwards towards the ledge of the balcony. He kicked his adversary, stumbling him back against the edge of the balcony, breaking the ledge. While Jak was trying to regain his balance, Vader swung at him, causing him to drop. He was able to grab the ledge with his left hand while still holding his drawn weapon in his right. He was clinging on for dear life at this point.

As Vader swung his light saber downward vigorously, Jak leapt over the massive cyborg, with his blade just missing his holster by a quarter of an inch. Once he landed on his feet, he quickly turned and struck at Vader's blade. The two swordsmen held position, with Vader's heels teetering towards the edge. As they were holding their swords together, Jak stared him down in anger, trying to force his enemy over. His skin was turning into a pale-white color in the process.

"Look over there, Jak!" Vader interrupted him. Jak looked over to his right as his skin became normal. He could see Imperial forces driving his friends backwards, and he could faintly see his wife stare at him out of desperation, "Your friends are in trouble. They are losing the fight of their lives, for the lives of the people that live on this wretched planet!"

"No…" Jak said coldly. "You can't take away millions of innocent lives across this planet for the expense of me. It's not fair! It won't even matter, because now you're about to die!"

"I don't think I am," Vader replied, "I think it is you who will meet your fate. You hold immense power, but you lack the courage to control it. You refuse to release the best of what you have even if your home is on the line. You did not release your power when you had the chance. You're weak because you held back by fear. Your fear is your downfall!"

With that, he pulled out a small detonator from his waist and into his right hand, while still holding position with his left. As he pushed the button on top of the detonator, the Sith Lord boldly yelled, "IT ENDS HERE, BOY!"

What nobody knew (not even the Imperial forces knew) was that Darth Vader placed a small but powerful bomb underneath the palace within the catacombs of Haven City. He was able to go underground and plant the bomb hours before he physically stepped foot on city grounds, which was also before the Imperial forces arrived on Haven City. Once he activated the detonator, the bomb ignited, and it sent the entire city under a massive earthquake.

As explosions were making their way upwards towards the palace, a ship arrived on the rooftop. It was a massive ship that was colored dark green with a yellow windshield. It had X-shaped wings towards the back of the thrusters that were armed for attack position, with blasters sticking out on all four ends. It had a pair of turrets on the top of the ship and on the bottom as well. This was the ship that Ratchet auto piloted with the coordinates he gave on his electronic wristband.

"COME ON!" The lombax yelled to his nearest companions as the palace began to teeter and shake violently. They all hopped on, with Keira and Samos barely making it on last as the rooftop disappeared below them.

Meanwhile on the top balcony, Vader withdrew his light saber and fell backwards from the balcony, disappearing into the smoke. Confused, yet fearful, Jak was struggling to hang on to the collapsing balcony, but it would be of no use. He fell downwards, looking up to the desolate gray sky, thinking that this really was the end of him. It was, until the ship that Ratchet piloted caught him as he was falling. A hatch opened below him, and next thing he knew, he was inside the large cockpit of the ship with all of his friends, alive and well.

"ON THOSE GUNS, NOW!" Ratchet barked, "I DON'T CARE WHO, JUST SHOOT DOWN AS MANY TIES AS YOU CAN!"

Daxter, Torn, Jinx, and Sig raced their way to the turrets and armed them. While they began work on shooting down Imperial fighters, a dejected and sorrowful Jak walked towards the back of the ship. Keira was relieved that her husband was okay, and ran up to him.

"Jak, honey," Keira said, nearly breaking into tears, "I'm so glad you're okay!" She hugged him, but he wouldn't embrace back. He kept walking away, and she became saddened.

"Let him go, Keira," Samos instructed her, "He needs time to be by himself. He's just in shock." Jak solemnly walked towards the furthest room in the back of the ship, shut the door behind him, sat on the bed, and buried his hands over his face, sulking, regretting that he didn't do enough to destroy Vader and to save his planet. Keira in the mean time, shook it off, and approached Ratchet, piloting the ship.

"So, where are we going now?" Keira asked the lombax.

"We're trying to move away from the Imperial forces so we can get off this planet," Ratchet told her, "I'm sorry, but Eco is lost."

"No!" Keira pleaded in denial. "We can't give up fighting for this planet. This is our home!"

"If we stay here, we die!" Ratchet retorted, "Once the Empire destroyed Haven City, they took this whole planet underneath their control. Now I'm trying to move out of orbit away from the Imperial blockade so that they don't shoot us down. I have those four, (Daxter, Sig, Torn, and Jinx) shooting down those TIEs for assurance."

"You said your forces could take down this Empire!" Keira yelled at him in anger. "You lied to us!"

"No," Ratchet continued, "I underestimated how strong the Empire would be against the Halo army. I thought I had the best of everything; troops, artillery, ships, weaponry, the whole nine yards. I was wrong. The Empire bought something with them that overpowered all of that, and they exploited all of my army's weaknesses. I'll have to go back to Raxus Prime to revise everything that I put together, and we would get there a lot faster if the hyperdrive were activated. Clank usually handles that…"

"Well…" Keira thought, "I'm pretty good at fixing stuff. Just give me the tools and I'll get that hyperdrive activated in no time!"

Ratchet reached underneath him momentarily and handed Keira a toolbox with a complete set of tools inside. "Here," he told her, "Go down stairs to the second floor towards the engine bay, and look for the fuse cell with a large blue beam in the center of it. You'll have to go underneath that cell and physically reconfigure the wiring and the hardware to reset this ship into hyperspace mode. Once you do that, we'll be on our way."

"On it!" Keira affirmed as she raced downstairs towards the engine bay. While she began work on reconfiguring the hyperdrive, the four that manned the turrets began bickering with each other as they were shooting down ties:

"Can't the little rat shoot down at least one fighter?" Torn sneered at Daxter.

"Don't worry about me, Tatoo-Face!" Daxter jeered back, as he shoots one down. "See! I CAN hit a TIE Fighter after all!"

"Looks like that'll be the only one you'll hit." Torn replied.

"You all are a bunch of wussies!" Jinx chimed in, "This is how you blow 'em outta da sky! Bada bing, BADA BOOM!" The sound effects he made fit perfectly with his accuracy, as he destroyed five TIE fighters together.

"ENOUGH WITH THE SHOWOFF AND THE BICKERING! Sig yelled at the other three, "IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY SHIPS YOU TAKE DOWN, AS LONG AS YOU TAKE THEM DOWN SO THAT THEY DON'T TAKE US DOWN! YOU GOT THAT!?" Intimidated by Sig's fierce orders, the three focused, and didn't say a word to each other since.

Meanwhile, Jak was still sitting in the room, looking out the window, noticing that Eco was drifting further and further away from him. He looked at his home planet in sorrow, accepting that this would be the last time he would ever see it. He knew as soon as the ship left the atmosphere, that there was no turning back for him now, or anyone else. He as a hero would leave all the people that depended on him behind forever. For that, Jak felt like a failure for the first time in his life.

While Daxter, Torn, Sig, and Jinx climbed down from the turrets approaching the cockpit. Keira ran in front of them, lifting the tool box up in the air with pride.

"All done!" She claimed.

"Awesome! I hope this works," Ratchet instructed the gang, "Everyone hang on!"

He dropped down a lever towards him, and the ship suddenly took off in rapid speed, and advanced through the stars in deep hyperspace.


	6. Chapter 6: Vader's Discovery

Chapter 6: Vader's Discovery

As he fell from the top balcony of the palace, Darth Vader was swept up by an Imperial shuttle and carried over to safety to the nearest Star Destroyer. Casually, he looked down from the window at the control station, and took in the sight of Haven City as a whole plummeting under the Empire's control. Although the mask hid his emotions, he was most pleased with the work he did on Eco today. One of Darth Vader's commanders on the ship, Commander Creed, approached Vader while he was looking out the window. He was a fair-skinned, muscular built was dressed in all black, carried two pistols on both sides of his waist, and a bigger, semi-automatic blaster across his back. He had dark red hair, and a scar across his right eye.

"My Lord," Commander Creed started, "we found this dead body buried beneath the catacombs. He seems to be leaking some kind of purple-dark fluid. We became very curious of it, so I had the scientists run some tests, and I have the results here."

"Go on…" Vader spoke as he turned around to face Creed.

"This is a substance called, dark eco," Creed started reading the reports, "It's a substance that can mutate a whole living thing into a different, and more lethal form. It can give anyone and anything dangerous abilities our society would consider to be unnatural. These powers are often triggered in a person out of fear or anger. Powers include: A type of force lightning, super strength, brute attacks, blasts of dark eco, super speed, and activating a lethal ring that can wipe out a whole planet, at worst. People on this planet for centuries crave for this substance. It's like their drug. They use it to power air ships, weapons of mass destruction-"

"Stop." Vader cut him off, "This must have been the substance I sensed in Jak…" he continued to himself.

"I'm sorry?" Creed inquired.

"It's nothing relevant now," Vader affirmed. "He was one of the few Jedi I killed today. It was different with him, I could've sworn I sensed Dark Eco within his body through his anger…"

He continued, "Now it matters not. He is dead. But if this substance can power weapons of mass destruction, then this can be a key ingredient for the construction of the Death Star. Bring me the body you found so I can see for it myself, then send the reports to the Emperor, and then order the miners and excavators to start searching near, far, and underground for this substance. I want every last drop of Dark Eco extracted from this planet, and stored away with us so we can take it to the Death Star. We need all of it if the Death Star can become the fully operational weapon that the Emperor so desires. Do what must be done."

"Yes, my lord." Creed affirmed as he walked away. Vader's portable communicator was ringing. It was the Emperor calling him. He pulled the small device from his waist and placed it on the palm of his hand. A small hologram of Darth Sidious appeared from the device, and he was facing his apprentice.

"Is it finished, Lord Vader?" The hologram inquired.

"Yes, the capitol of Haven City has been destroyed, all of their forces surrendered to us, and the planet has been taken under our control," Vader replied.

"And what of the Jedi?" Sidious continued.

"Dead," Vader affirmed. "I dispatched the boy myself, while the girl died along with all of their allies. They are no longer a threat to us."

"Excellent," The Emperor chuckled evilly.

"There is more news," Vader continued, "My forces discovered a substance called, 'dark eco'. I am transporting every last drop of this substance from this planet. My scientists are sending you the reports for this substance as we speak. Once you look into them, you will find that this substance is so lethal yet so powerful, it can wipe out a whole planet by itself. I believe that this is the key ingredient we need to operate the firepower for the Death Star."

"That is wonderful news," The Emperor said with slight glee, "You have done more than well, my apprentice. There is more where this abomination came from. Soon, you will single-handedly conquer every living planet under your control, extinguish all opposing threats, and control the galaxy. Now, search within yourself the next world that we need to conquer. Search for any remaining Jedi outcasts across the galaxy near and far, and destroy them as quickly as you can, just as you just did today."

"As you wish, my Master," Vader signed off, the hologram disappeared, and he tucked the device away.

"My lord," Creed interjected as he walked back in with a levitating crate. "This is the body that you asked for, you may want to take a look at this."

Vader approached the crate and looked down on it along with the commander. The body was half human, half cyborg, with cyber kinetic implants covering half of his face. He had only his human left arm, and lacked a right arm and legs. His torso was burnt, dented, opened up, and fairly damaged. Dark Eco was pouring out of the leg sockets, filling the crate. This was the cyborg body of Errol, Jak's old nemesis for many years.

Darth Vader took two fingers and dabbed the puddle of dark eco. He picked up the drop that he contracted, and examined it upon his glove. Suddenly, the left hand of Errol clenched Vader's wrist, and the cyborg stared at him with rage. Someway, somehow, Errol came back to life again.

Out of haste and panic, Vader flung the wounded, nearly limbless cyborg against the window, bouncing down towards the ground. Still enraged, Errol tried to charge towards the dark lord while crawling on his one hand, but was suddenly interrupted when Commander Creed took the back of his rifle and smashed it against his skull, knocking him out unconscious.

Moments later, Errol suddenly awoke on a table in a dark room; screaming as if he had just woke up from a terrifying nightmare. He first looked around and saw nothing but darkness. He examined the probes and devices that surrounded his head. He noticed that he had new, human-like robotic prosthetics for his legs and his arm. He felt thinner, yet somehow harnessed more strength. He noticed that a dark eco crystal replaced his heart, and it was the only thing that was keeping him alive. He sprung onto his feet, stood up, and looked at the dark figure of Lord Vader standing across from him on the bridge.

"You're lucky I even had the slightest bit of interest to keep you alive, Errol." Vader told him as he approached him.

"No…" Errol suddenly shivered. "I can't be imprisoned like him. I can't be tortured and experimented like him. I can't be another dark eco freak like him. He can't keep undermining me! I don't deserve this!" After his rant to himself, he stared upwards towards Vader, and vehemently asked him. "What are you!?"

"I am your new master, Darth Vader. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."

"New Master!?" Errol scoffed. "What are these, 'Sith?'"

"They are a powerful group of warriors driven by the dark side of the Force," Vader explained. "They have controlled the balance of the galaxy for thousands of years. They even rule it now."

"Where is Jak!?" Errol demanded, "I want his head! He ruined me! I had everything I wanted until he came along!"

"I dispatched him and his friends for you," Vader told him. "He is of no worry to you anymore." Errol then screamed out of anger, and lashed a long blast of dark eco force lighting towards the Sith Lord. Vader was able to deflect it with the palm of his hand, and the beams backfired towards Errol. Knocking him on his back.

"You have gained a lot of interest for me in the last few minutes, Errol." Vader complimented to him. "Especially with the dark eco within you flowing through your blood stream. It gives you much anger and hatred, and it fuels the power you have now."

"What's the point of using all of that power…" Errol sneered, "when you don't have anyone to kill for revenge!?"

"Because," Vader continued, "Jak recently became a part of another group of warriors called the Jedi. They have been opposing with the Sith and threatening peace across the galaxy for thousands and thousands of years. There are still many Jedi Knights remaining in the galaxy throughout thousands of worlds. In order to instill peace in our universe, it is our job to destroy the Jedi race for good. They are renegades, outcasts, and inferior warriors like he was."

"So why do you need me?" Errol continued to ask.

"With the proper training you could become a powerful Sith Acolyte." Vader told him. "The dark eco within you is present, yes. But we must hone it if you are to become one of the most feared assassins in the universe. "

Errol became enticed with Vader's offer. He liked the sound of becoming an assassin for the most powerful Empire in galactic history. "Go on…" he replied.

"I will teach you the ways of the Dark Side of the Force," Vader affirmed to him.

"What is the Force?" Errol asked him.

"It is a power that is even greater than eco." Vader answered him. "It is the form of life that keeps this galaxy in balance. There are two sides: Light and dark. I am a master of the Dark Side, and I can teach you all of the Dark Side's most powerful secrets and attributes, that are capable for complete galactic control. I can give you all the power that you have desired in the past and even more if you fall under my tutelage. If you become my apprentice, together, we can rapidly wipe out every last living Jedi in the galaxy! We will even overthrow the ruler of our grand new Empire, Darth Sidious, and rule the galaxy together!" Once he finished, he knew he had Errol reeled in under his control. He just wanted to hear it for himself. "Errol," he continued, "will you serve me and help me take control of the galaxy. Are you willing to take what is rightfully ours? Do you want all the power in the universe?"

"I will forever serve you, my Master." Errol answered as he bowed down to him on one knee.

"Good, rise." Vader commanded him, "I have a gift for you," He took out a light saber with a peculiar design and placed it on Errol's hands. "This is your new weapon. This weapon of the Sith is called a light saber. This weapon in particular was re-discovered by my master on our home planet of Korriban. It was last used by the ancient Sith Lord, Darth Malgus, Dark Lord of the Sith from thousands of years ago. He was the most feared killer in the galaxy during the time of the Old Republic. He was brute, relentless, fearless, and full of anger. This weapon was a part of him, and I sense a good part of Malgus within you, my new apprentice."

Errol ignited the light saber, and pointed the red beam upwards towards the ceiling. He gave it an evil grin. He felt satisfaction from holding his weapon. He could picture himself slaying thousands of Jedi across the galaxy, overthrowing the Emperor, and ruling the galaxy, with everyone across the universe serving under his command. He had a vision of him serving as the new Dark Emperor, and he liked what he saw. He bowed to his master in gratitude.

"Come with me," Vader commanded his new apprentice, "More will be here for you soon."


	7. Chapter 7: Homeless

Chapter 7: Homeless

Deep in hyperspace on board of Ratchet's ship, Jak sat in his room, alone, sulking in regret for what just happened. Every time he looked out the window, the depression grew because he could no longer see his home planet. He could no longer help the people that counted on him. Soon, Daxter and Keira walked into the room, both of them concerned of Jak's wellbeing.

"Uh…Jak? Buddy?" Daxter began to pry at his best friend, "Look, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you lately, but ever since you took into this 'Jedi Crap' you became a completely different person. You've become more moody and mopey than a chick that got dumped at the prom! You'll fling that wimp stick around instead of using your eco powers, you broke all of your weapons, and you left all of us out there in the freezing rain with more explosions than you can shake that wimp stick at, just so you can fight that Vader guy alone! I told you we could've taken him together! But since I've been there for you since day one, and for that I'll ask you one question," He then suddenly grabbed his friend's shoulders and yelled into his face, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU!?"

"DAXTER!" Keira barked at the orange ottsel, "Let me talk to him, I'll handle this." She then turned to Jak, sat next to him, and embraced him with her left hand on his shoulder, and her right holding his hand. "What's wrong, Jak?"

"I failed." Jak softly replied to her.

Keria tried to make him feel better. She told him, "No you didn't, Jak. We all knew-"

"Yes Keira, I did." Jak said as he stood up. "Daxter was right. I didn't do enough to save our planet and the people that live on it. So many people I have come to know and love over the years died today because I let them down. For the first time in my entire life, I failed a mission. Not just any mission, but the one that mattered most."

"Jak," Keira continued as he tried to reason with him. "I'm sure you did everything you could. The Empire was just too strong for our forces to hold them off. Plus, Vader didn't really kill us like he thought he did, so that gives us an opportunity to save an entire galaxy. To save millions and billions of more people than the ones that ever lived back at home! You may not realize this yet, but there are people across this universe that are counting on us more than ever, in their desperate times. We have a chance to do something that's bigger than us. That's why you haven't failed this mission yet!"

"I had Vader right where I wanted him too," Jak continued as he turned around to face his wife, "Several times during our fight, I had him at his weakest points. I could've used my light eco powers to destroy him for good. If I had done that, we wouldn't be in space right now. We would be still at home rebuilding our planet. And believe me, that is what I would rather be doing."

"So why didn't you use them?" Daxter intervened.

"Because," Jak held back for a moment, sat down on the bed, and continued, "Because I was afraid I would lose you guys if I did."

"Care to elaborate on that more?" Daxter pried at him again.

Jak continued to tell them, "Lately, before I even knew of this Jedi stuff, I've been having visions. Terrifying visions, of me losing control of my eco powers. Dark and light eco would fuse within me to consume me from the inside out; making me lose any sub consciousness I had left in my mind. This would make me kill everyone I know unwillingly, including you guys. After that happens, the eco has consumed my body as a whole, and I somehow explode and become nothing. Vader tried to force me to use my dark eco powers against him during the duel. He insulted me and threatened you guys and the rest of our friends. Because of that, I almost lost myself within them. Luckily, I had enough control to retract them; because I was afraid that would be the day I would forever lose myself to them. I wake up everyday full of fear, hoping that day would never come, because I care about you guys more than anything. I was afraid that if I use my eco powers too much, I might lose myself and cause total destruction in the universe. I didn't want to tell you guys about these visions I've been having because I didn't want to scare everyone. My fear cost me our home, and I realize now that if I had used them at that moment, we would have a planet to live on and a life worth living. And for that, I'm sorry, to everyone."

"I knew you were having these problems all along, Jak!" Samos interjected as he barged into the room, "That's why I taught you to use the Force, WITH your eco powers! With the aid of the Force, the actions you have been seeing in your visions will never happen!"

Keira stepped in and said to him, "Daddy, I don't think this is a good time to-"

"This is the perfect time to discuss this!" Samos cut his daughter off. Keira had a disgusted look on her face after that. She hated the fact that she was cut off twice. Samos turned to Jak and told him, "Now Jak, I trained you well enough for you to know that the only way to prevent your eco powers from taking over your mind and soul is to use them with the Force while you're still alive. Before you fought Vader, I told you not to be afraid to use them. Fear got into your head and made you reluctant to unleash everything you had when our home was on the line!"

"I'm sorry, Samos," Jak told him, "I don't know what came over me. I guess Keira was right, I wasn't ready enough to face him yet. I didn't feel I was powerful enough to use my eco powers against him."

"But you were, my boy. That's the thing!" Samos said to him, "You see, If you are reluctant to utilize your special eco powers when you open yourself to the Force, you become that much more vulnerable to fall into the Dark Side!"

"Well, I definitely don't want to do that." Jak told him.

"I know you don't my boy," Samos continued to encourage him as he walked to stand in front of him. "That's why you must use your eco powers as much as you can to save the galaxy, us, and even yourself. Dark, light, it doesn't matter! What matters is with your exceptional powers and with the Force by your side, you're the most powerful weapon we've got! We need you. The galaxy now needs you. Keira was right; the loss of our planet was a necessary loss, because it allows us to save an entire galaxy, OUR galaxy! This mission is bigger than us and the only way to accomplish it is to stop the Empire with everything we've got!"

Samos finished this monologue to Jak just before he left the room, "Jak, the fate of an entire universe is now in your hands. You have two options: You can either sulk and feel sorry for yourself since it's the first time you lost something, or you can face up to what you've done and redeem yourself by saving billions of people across the universe in their most desperate time of need. The choice is yours." He finished, and walked away.

"Jak," Keira spoke to him as he stood up directly in front of her, "I know you won't give up and join the fight. I have faith that whatever is haunting you in your visions not come true. I know you have the will and the drive to help us destroy this Empire once and for all. You are tough on the outside, but deep down inside, your care for the people around you makes you special, even when you do transform. That is why I married you." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks Keira," Jak said in gratitude and relief. "I feel a lot better thanks to you. I'll join the fight. C'mon Dax!"

The three walked out of the bedroom and out of the bedroom hallway into the command center of the ship. It was about ten feet away from the cockpit. Like the war room back at the palace, it had a circular table with a projector on it, and everyone was occupying the seats. Once they saw Jak come out of the hallway, they all stood up and cheered for him in approval, handing him nothing but praise. Sig and Torn would soon surround him.

"Good to have you back, Jak!" Sig praised him, patting him on the back. "Listen," he continued, "don't be thinking about the past too much. Whatever happened happened. It's nothing to get upset about now. Just keep your head up, Chili Pepper, because we'll be blowing out those Imperial creeps in no time! Just like we did with those nasty metalheads!"

"Good to have you back pal," Torn chimed in. "We can't fight this fight without you. What's done is done. We need your strength and your power to destroy those Imperial goons once and for all."

"Thanks guys." Jak replied to them softly with enlightenment.

"I'm glad to see you in a better mood, Jak!" Ratchet said as he approached him, "Unlike how you are usually."

"Hey don't start with me pal," Jak retorted facetiously, "you'll kill the moment."

"Very well then, tough guy!" Ratchet joked back. He suddenly remembered, "Oh! Where are my manners? I would like to cordially introduce to everyone the toughest, fastest, and one of the overall best ships in the galaxy: The Renegade! You guys have seen all of the weaponry that it has when we held off those guys coming from Eco-"

"Which reminds me…" Jak spoke to himself softly, cutting Ratchet off. He quickly grabbed his holster off his back and dumped out all the items that were inside of it. "At least we didn't leave our planet _completely _behind." They were all amazed of all the items he bought back with him. Especially Keira.

"Awh, Jak!" Keira spoke affectionately, "You bought back all of our stuff from our room!?"

"Well, not ALL of it," Jak corrected her, "The bag can only fit so much, you know?"

"Oh," she spoke softly, as she noticed the picture of their wedding kiss. Her eyes began to fill up with tears of joy, she said to him with her heart warm, "and you even brought the picture of us on our wedding day with you!"

"How could I not?" Jak replied to her with pride and joy. "It was the best moment of my life."

"You simply are amazing." Keira said to him, gazing at his face with her dreamy green eyes.

"Hey!" Ratchet suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Jak and Keira's intimate moment, "You even brought Clank back with you!" He was overjoyed that Jak was able to bring Clank back to him.

"Had to," Jak began to explain to him. "You wouldn't last a second without your sidekick. I know I can'.t" He finished by giving Daxter a noogie. The ottsel appreciated Jak's comments to him, but not the noogie.

"But still…" Ratchet's tone transitioned from exuberant to melancholy, "He can't be of any use to us at all if he's…you know, broken."

Jak began to uplift Ratchet by telling him, "Well I figured 'little miss mechanic here,' (nudging Keira) would help you out by fixing him up and getting him back going again!"

"Keira," Ratchet began to plead to her, "do you think you can fix him?"

"Let me see…" Keira said as she picked up the miniature and heavily damaged robot. She began her examinations by removing his chest plate and the back of his head, thoroughly examining the extent of the damage with a small microscope. She formed up her prognosis: "Looks like he'll need new small cyber kinetic limbs that match the ones he has on right now, a small cranial power generator that I'll have to install through the temporal side of his head, which transmits electricity to the six micro-circuit breakers in his chest, which I also need as well. To finish things off would be some small repairs for the exterior cosmetic damage that he sustained, and then he should be good as new!" She concluded, "Yeah, I have the parts and pieces to fix him up in no time."

"Thanks Keira!" A relieved Ratchet said to her in gratitude.

"No problem!" Keira replied to him as she walked away from the control room and down to the second floor of the renegade with Clank in her hands. Now the attention turned to Jak, as everyone became eager to hear of his encounter with Darth Vader.

"So, tough guy," Ashelin began the meeting, "What was it like to take Vader on face to face?"

"He was very powerful," Jak gravely replied to her as he took his seat at the table. He then turned to everyone, "He was unlike anyone or anything I've ever faced before. Ruthless, relentless, and shows no mercy for anyone that he faces. It's because of the darkness within him. There's a ton of it for sure."

"Which is why Darth Vader and the Empire that he leads is more dangerous than anything the people in the galaxy will ever know!" Samos added on.

"Actually," Jak began to correct the sage, "I don't think he's leading the Empire's charge. He plays a huge role in it we know that. But I know he's not the guy that's in total command. I think he made mentions of this, Emperor guy, whoever he is. He didn't really get into telling me who he really is. He just mentioned him, that's all."

"How do ya know this?" Jinx asked him.

"He kinda spoiled his plan to me a little bit," Jak began to reveal details; "he was trying to persuade me into joining him to help defeat this Emperor. I refused because I could see what would happen if I did, and I'm telling you all every good thing that he would promise to you (if you ever meet him) is completely false. It would involve killing the last of the Jedi remaining in the universe and him eventually killing Keira and I once the Emperor would die. He wants complete control of the galaxy to himself."

"Then the only way to destroy this Empire is to blow those two creeps deep into outer space!" Sig boisterously suggested, "That way, the Empire wouldn't even have a ruler, it would be in complete chaos, and we can expose those Imperial creeps from the inside out!"

"That's easier said than done," Samos coldly intervened, "It would be even more difficult if Vader begins to acquire any followers, which I'm afraid he might somehow. He'll give that same offer to any of the remaining Jedi in the galaxy. Most will refuse, and he'll kill them. But the ones that don't could be very dangerous."

"Which is why we have to act quickly before Vader starts to build an army of his own along with the Empire." Jak declared, "If he becomes Emperor, it could spell doom for the galaxy."

"Not to mention all the advanced warfare and technology the Empire has already." Ratchet added along. Then he thought; "If only Clank were up and running again, he would give us some Intel on where the Empire is constructing all of these weapons and ships, what factories are they using on what system, how they're operated, everything."

"And I am fully operational to assist you with retaining that Intel, my good friend!" Clank suddenly barged in with bravado. He looked good as new, as if nothing ever happened to him. Ratchet and Clank were overjoyed to see each other, and beyond thankful that Keira reunited them again.

"Clank!" he yelled at his robot sidekick with joy. They ran to each other and embraced one another. He told him, "I'm glad to have you back, buddy!" He then turned to Keira, who just walked out from the repair room in the second floor. "Keira," he began to speak, "that was the quickest I have ever seen anyone make repairs on anything. You really are simply amazing!"

"Hey!" Jak began to jokingly taunt Ratchet, "I was supposed to say that to her!"

"Ehh," Keira began to reply to Ratchet, "I try!" She then added, "I also gave him the lowdown on everything that's been happening once I woke him up again."

"How can I ever repay you?" The lombax asked her.

"You can start by protecting our tails, fur ball!" Keira taunted Ratchet playfully, rubbing his head.

"HEY!" Daxter suddenly chimed in, "I thought I was the fur ball around here! What am I!? Chopped Liver!?"

"No Daxter," Samos began to chide the ottsel, "You're just an obnoxious and loud weasel."

An alert signal ignited from the cockpit. Clank was the first to notice. "Ratchet," he began to warn him, "It looks like we're approaching on a planet too fast!"

"YIKES!" Ratchet exclaimed. "Got to take this old girl out of light speed before she won't be an old girl at all." He rushed to the controls and set the Renegade out of light speed, just before they touched the atmosphere of Raxus Prime.

"Well my friends," Ratchet began to speak to everyone, "Welcome to the 'glorious' planet of Raxus Prime. Yes, it's nasty looking for sure, with the molten lava and scrap metal and everything. This is where expired droids go when they don't work anymore. Heck, this is where Clank probably would've ended up had Keira not fixed him up."

Clank gulped out of fear. Ratchet was able to calm him down. "Don't worry buddy, just be thankful you're not gonna be with them now," He told his sidekick, and then continued on to everyone else, "Anyway, the underground fortress that we're going to is going to be a lot more peaceful than what you guys see now. You'll get just enough hospitality you need. I'll take you there now."

Ratchet flew the Renegade through the volcanic terrains of the barren planet until he found a cliff where there was a large hangar bay. He flew the ship underneath it and put it down in the landing area. The gang all exited the ship, stretched, and looked around the hanger, amazed. The Halo army's display of weapons, artillery, and spacecraft were quite impressive to say the least. Star fighters, big guns, and bombs as far as the eye can see. They all gazed in wonder.

"This is the most amazing set of weaponry I have ever seen!" Jinx said in awe.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg buddy," Ratchet began his bold claim. "Just wait until we take even more of these babies to the Empire!"

"We'll fry those Imperial creeps faster than a farm full of chickens!" Sig exclaimed pompously, "Can't wait to get started on the home cooking baby!"

"Well I'm afraid you're gonna have to for just a little bit big guy," Ratchet reassured him, "Because I got to make some plans on some serious upgrades if we're gonna have a chance. While I deal with my men, why don't you guys make yourselves at home in the living quarters? There's plenty of food to eat and plenty of rooms to sleep! Y'all are gonna need it!"

"HECK YES WE ARE!" Daxter exclaimed loudly with excitement, jumping up and down on the ground. "All this fighting, and shooting, and blasting, and blowing up stuff all day sure got my stomach empty. Gimme some grub! I got a galaxy to save!"

"WE got a galaxy to save, Daxter," Samos wisely corrected him. He led the gang out front towards the living quarters, "Come everyone!" he began to implore, "We must eat up and rest up immediately. Tomorrow begins our adventure through the universe!"

"Can't wait." Jak said quietly to himself. They proceeded into the living quarters and stayed through the night.


	8. Chapter 8: Two Missions, One Purpose

Chapter 8: Two Missions, One Purpose

Later that night, Jak had trouble sleeping while everyone else found immediate comfort in the living quarters. The nightmares that he was having were beginning to pester his mind yet again. He tossed and turned his head, grunting out of fear.

In his vision, He was in some type of large space station, with a large window that looked out into deep space with Eco being attacked by the Empire. He saw an image of a black-cloaked figure, which he assumed to be the Emperor, and he also saw Darth Vader looking on. His face was hidden but he could see the yellow and red eyes beaming from the dark shadows of his cloak.

He was torturing Jak with long, painful shocks of force lightning. He forced Jak to unleash his anger and have him turn himself into his dark eco form against his will. He would eventually have pale skin, white hair, black eyes, claws, and horns on his head, sharp teeth, and a complete loss of mental control. While that was happening, he was witnessing Vader slaying all of his friends, but he left Keira and Daxter alive for his taking.

"Your destiny lies with me, Jak," The cloaked man spoke in a dark tone. "If you want the universe my apprentice, you must take it for yourself and yourself alone!"

Out of anger, he drew his light saber. Then he unleashed flashes of dark eco force lightning towards the dark figure, disintegrating him into smithereens. Then he charged towards Darth Vader. Vader didn't put up much of a fight, as he was decapitated by Jak's blade on account of his rage. Then he turned to Daxter and Keira, who were helpless, weaponless, and shivering with fear.

"Jak…" Daxter trembled, "Uh…this isn't you buddy. Settle down! The galaxy is saved remember!?"

"Jak don't do this!" Keira suddenly cried, begging him to stop this madness. "It's the Dark Side that poisoned your mind. Fight it! Don't let it consume you!"

Jak ignored them both, and he levitated them off the ground, choking them. Then he threw them against the window, knocking them against each other on the ground.

"JAK PLEASE!" Keira shrieked in fear. "I LOVE YOU! DON'T YOU KNOW THAT!?"

All of the sudden, Jak sprang up to approximately thirty feet in the air with his light saber pointing directly down at them. As Jak accelerated his blade towards them rapidly, Daxter and Keira screamed of horror, with tears raining from their faces and their shrieks piercing their lungs. Nevertheless the blade impaled both the ottsel and the hero's lover.

At the moment when the blade made the impact on them in his vision, Jak suddenly sprung up, waking himself from this nightmare. He screamed out of fear and anxiety as he sat up on his bed. After a few moments of panting violently and looking around the room, Jak turned himself over and took the covers off of him. He was wearing nothing but a pair of blue shorts. He bowed his head down towards the ground and buried his face underneath his palms. He sat up and looked back towards his beautiful wife Keira, who was still sound asleep, wearing only a teal nightgown.

He stood up and began to walk out of the room, but couldn't do it without noticing Daxter on the hammock snoring loudly and mumbling incoherent words. He exited the living quarters and proceeded towards the main hangar bay. Keira all of the sudden woke up and noticed that her husband had left the bed, and that the door was open. She became confused as to why he left, and worried for his mental state. She took it upon herself to go look for him within the underground fortress. Keira left the living quarters and entered into the main hangar bay, where she saw Jak standing firmly on the edge of the hangar with his arms folded across his chest, and looking deeply into the deep night. She walked towards her husband.

"It's been a rough couple of days, hasn't it?" Keira asked him, rubbing his shoulder gently.

"Yeah," Jak softly replied to her. "It's been eventful to say the least."

"Are your visions bothering you again?" She continued.

"Yes," Jak confirmed.

"But I thought you said you weren't afraid to use your eco powers." Keira told him.

"I'm not," Jak insisted to her as he turned around to face her. "Yet these visions still haunt me. It may not just be the eco powers, but more so what we're fighting against. Vader and the Emperor have to be destroyed at all costs. You'll all die if they don't."

"Of course they have do die, honey!" Keira re-stated the obvious, "That's what we're here for! Kill them before they kill us!"

"Sorry," Jak began to atone for himself, "It's already been a long night and everything and-"

"Jak," Keira quickly cut him off and grabbed him towards her by his waist, then proceeded to rub her hands on his chest softly. "You don't need to worry about these predictions in your head anymore. They won't happen. You got me, Daxter, all of our friends, your gifted eco powers, and the Force all by your side. Because of all of that, I think the Empire fears YOU my love; you just don't know it yet. I've come to know and fallen in love with you for a very long time, not because I thought you were cute, or funny, or so sweet to me, but more because of how tough you are, how brave you are, and how you are always willing to fight for others around you. I knew you were special right when I met you. I knew from the first time I gazed into your ocean-blue eyes that there would be no one else I would rather spend my whole life full of adventure with. The Force did bring us together the day that we met, so it's gonna be the Force keeping us together until the end of time, no matter what happens to us!"

"Oh, Keira," Jak whispered to her softly, caressing her back and rubbing it smoothly, "This is why I married you. I knew from the day your father bought me into his hut to meet you, I knew I had to have you. No matter what happened to us, through thick and thin, you always have been by my side. You gave me humility and confidence in myself again. Next to Daxter, you've been my greatest companion yet. There would be no way I could live without you. If the Force bought us here together on the day we first met, and if they formed to hearts into one, then dammit, they're gonna stay together no matter what happens to me. No matter what I become, or say, or do, I will always be by your side, Keira. I want to take on the Empire head-on with you by my side, and I'll love you every day after that until my heart stops beating. I love you, Keira Hagai. Don't ever forget that."

"Oh my goodness," Keira stammered with tears of joy, "I married a poet!"

"I learned from the best, right?" Jak replied to her.

They kissed, and then Keira developed a mischievous look in her eyes. "You know," she purred softly, "I know just what to do to fix that sleeping problem of yours." She drew closer to him, and whispered softly, "How about you and I have some, _fun,_ tonight?"

"Wow," Jak became nervous, yet was intrigued by Keira's new attitude. He added on, "When did you become naughty?"

"I learned from the best, right?" Keira cleverly replied to him. They both chuckled, and Jak picked up his wife and carried her from the main hangar bay all the way to the top floor of the living quarters. They smooched, and the door shut behind them.

The next morning approached and everyone quickly freshened up and got dressed in their usual attire. They met Ratchet and Clank down in the main hangar bay, with a very uneasy expression drawn upon Ratchet's face. He was scratching his head nervously.

"Hey Ratch," Jak started, "What's going on here?"

"We got big problems guys," Ratchet began to break it to everyone, "When the Imperials were trying to shoot us down when we escaped from Eco, one of them shot us with this tracking device, and its been on the Renegade the whole flight here." Ratchet opened up his paw and showed everyone the tracking device. It was a small, round piece of metal with a dim red beacon. Everyone became anxious.

"Luckily, I was able to dismantle the tracking device and shut it down," Clank added, "but their persistent threat against us is still present. I believe that the Empire has retrieved enough coordinates from the ship and our pathway to this location to track us down. According to my sensors, I believe that they are on their way here to Raxus Prime right now!"

"Great," Ashelin softly pouted, "just what I needed. A bunch of imperial goons destroying us before we even get started."

"That's not even fair!" Jinx suddenly whined.

"Relax everyone!" Ratchet yelled to calm everyone down. Then he calmly spoke to everyone, "I've already ordered immediate evacuation for my troops, weapons, and ships from here to another underground fortress on Yavin IV. But Clank's right. The Empire already has enough data to track down the Renegade. But thankfully I have a duplicate of it just in case something like this happens."

"So what's your point?" Torn inquired.

"My point is," Ratchet continued, "the only way to ensure survival and safety is for us to split up into two different groups." All of the sudden, everyone interjected in a displeased manner, and collectively argued against him. "Hold on! Let me finish!" Ratchet yelled, silencing everyone once again, "Think about it! Two ships that look EXACTLY alike flying in two opposite directions will confuse the Empire enough. I mean yeah, there will be Imperials following us around anyway, but we knew we were going to have to deal with them one way or another if this galaxy has any chance of being saved."

"Which gives me and idea…"Samos spoke softly to himself.

"Oh, great!" Daxter exaggerated to himself. "What does old green and gruesome have planned for us in his infinite log of wisdom?"

Samos walked in the center of the circle, speaking to everyone, "Well, since we're splitting up into two groups, and since Vader is 'persuading' fallen Jedi Knights to follow him, I figured that it's time to multiply our army before he multiplies his. That's why I am taking Sig, Torn, Ashelin, and Jinx under my guidance, and I will train them to become Jedi Knights on Tython, the planet where the Jedi order began tens and thousands of years ago."

"WHAT!? ARE YOU INSANE OLD MAN!?" Torn retorted in disgust. "WE CAN'T TRAIN TO BE JEDI! IT'S RIDICULOUS!"

"We don't have the natural gifts Jak and Keira have!" Ashelin harshly followed, "You can't expect us to master the Jedi arts as quickly as they did. This effort is hopeless!"

"Besides," Jinx chimed in, "We like who we are! We like blowin' stuff up outta da sky! If we can explode a bunch of metalhead creeps, we can beat these goons by just shootin' them down!"

"We tried 'shootin these goons down' and 'blowin' stuff up outta da sky' and look where that put us?" Samos mocked the arrogant weapons expert. Jinx was not very pleased with his words. Samos continued, "Yes, I know that it will be more difficult to train you four than it was to train Jak and Keira. The old Jedi Masters claimed that it was impossible to train someone that wasn't Force-Sensitive. But I'm different. I'm a Green Eco Sage that knows a thing or two about doing the impossible, and I say that I can train you four just well enough to combat with Vader's forces. The Dark Side is a part of the Empire so this is the only chance we have!"

"The Tree Stump's right," Sig nodded in agreement, "this will test our patience with one another, but it's the only chance we have. There will probably be Imperial scumbags lurking around that planet anyway, so it's like killing two birds with one stone: We do our training while taking out a bunch of Imperial creeps and collecting information we need to unlock the Empire's secrets!"

"Brilliant idea, Sig!" Samos commended him in approval.

"HEY!" Daxter suddenly shouted with impatience, "What about us!?

"Well furball," the sage began to mock the ottsel once more, "since you're one of the few sidekicks along for the ride, I'm gonna tell our two heroes of the galaxy, and you're gonna listen!" Daxter too, became disgusted with the old man. He turned to Jak and Keira, and began to instruct them on their next task. "Now Jak, Keira," he began, "Since you two are almost done with your formal Jedi training, I know I can't coddle you two as my students forever, that's why I feel that you two are ready to venture off into your own to discover your destiny. This is a crucial part of the process. I need you two to take the Renegade, and fly on over to the galaxy's capitol planet of Coruscant, where you will find the remains of the Jedi Temple."

"And what will we do there?" Jak asked him.

"You must go there to meditate." Samos replied.

"Wow! Have you really gone senile!" Daxter began to go off. Samos became angry with him, but nevertheless, the boisterous and pompous ottsel continued, "Look old man! You're sending the two lovebirds to this 'Jedi Temple' so that they can use it as a room, fall asleep for the Precursors knows how long, while a bunch of Imperial creeps are ransacking the planet like a pack of angry hounds! Then the next thing you know, Mr. Dark, tall, and stormy is gonna control each and every living thing on every planet with chains on their backs!? Sheesh! This plan wasn't really well thought out after all! Next thing you know they wake up and-"

"SILENCE YOU IGNORANT WEASEL!" Samos angrily bellowed at the small rat. He picked him up and jettisoned him through the door of the Renegade, knocking him out and shutting him up.

"What a moron!" Jinx and Torn quietly said together.

"Anyway," Samos continued to Jak and Keira, "This part of your training is the most crucial component because you'll be talking to beings of the dead, powerful Jedi Knights that appeared in the past. If you have a connection with the dead through the living Force, your power will soon become stronger within you, and I want you two to become as well-rounded with the Force as you can before you can face Vader and the Emperor once more!"

"Sounds simple enough," Keira said to her father with confidence. But then she remembered, "Wait a minute! We can't go back there to the Jedi Temple! That Obi-Wan guy told us not to in his message because it was destroyed, remember?"

"Well now I'm telling you different," Samos assured her, "Yes, danger will continue to lurk around the Jedi Temple because that was the first place the Empire attacked. I bet there will still be Imperial troops left there lurking around. But regardless, you must go inside the Temple to meditate! It is the only place you two have left to connect with the heroes of the past! If you each go to the Jedi Temple, and meditate in solitude, you will discover who you really are, where you truly came from, what your purpose is in life, and you will discover your TRUE destiny! That is the key to saving this galaxy!"

"How will we know who we will be talking to?" Jak inquired the sage, "How will we know what we truly find in ourselves?"

"All part of the training Jak," Samos answered. He continued, "Remember, when you get there, search your feelings within you. Look into your souls and empty your minds of any distractions. The people within your heart will give you the answers that you seek."

"I'll take them on the renegade," Ratchet offered them, "you need a REAL pro that knows the ins and outs of this baby in order for you to get to where you need to go."

"Please," Keira began to reply to the lombax with sass, "Jak and I are plenty capable of flying a ship ourselves."

"Please," Ratchet retorted back, "I insist."

"All right," Keira began to give up on the argument, "Whatever's best for the ship."

"Ashelin and I will fly the other one," Torn chimed in, "We can fly pretty well too."

"Master Chief," A Halo soldier began to pull Ratchet aside, tapping him on the shoulder, "shall we start the evacuation process to Yavin IV?"

"Yeah, you guys go ahead," Ratchet said in approval. "I can't follow you guys, I got to look after the only two chances we have left in saving the galaxy. If we lose them, all hope will be lost."

"Yes, Master Chief," the soldier affirmed and walked away.

"You're not going with them to Yavin IV?" Jak asked his comrade.

"Nah," Ratchet answered him, "They got plenty of commanders on standby there already. They're in good hands. Besides, it looks like you guys are in need of a babysitter already."

"Yeah, sure we do." Jak replied sarcastically.

Sig approached Jak and gave him confident parting words; "Listen Cherry, keep your head up, your eyes peeled, and your nose sniffin'. Be on the lookout for anything that can harm you guys. If you do that, everything will be gravy. All of it, just gravy! We can't afford to lose any of you. You've led us through the hairiest of the hairy, and I know you can help save millions of people. You got this Jak!"

"Thanks Sig," Jak replied in gratitude, patting him on the shoulder, "Be on the lookout for yourself too. And, have some patience with the old man, he gets groggy often as you've seen before, but don't piss him off too much."

"We'll swap with each other any Intel we can find on the Empire's secrets." Ashelin declared, "The more we know, the more we expose them their weaknesses."

"Time is of the essence!" Samos interjected, "Let's get moving! We got a galaxy to save!" The groups boarded their respective ships. Jak and Keira were the last ones walking into the Renegade, holding hands when Samos called out to them; "Jak! Keira!" They both turned around, and looked at the sage. Samos told them, "May the Force be with you both."

"May the Force be with you, daddy!" Keira replied to him.

Jak followed, "Yeah, may the Force be with you too Samos, and everyone with you."

The two ships departed in opposite directions and flew out of orbit on both ends of Raxus Prime. The crew on the reengage began to prepare for their voyage to Coruscant." Inside the cockpit, Ratchet typed in the coordinates set for the planet, while Clank activated the hyperdrive.

"We're on the outer rim, while Coruscant is one of the core worlds," Ratchet declared to Jak, Daxter, Keira, and Tess, "which means this is gonna be a long and bumpy ride. Hang on everyone!"

Ratchet pulled the lever down to charge the hyperdrive and to send the Renegade into light speed. The Renegade took off into hyperspace, embarking the long voyage to the fallen capitol of Coruscant.


	9. Chapter 9: Coruscant

Chapter 9: Coruscant

Deep in hyperspace on board of the Renegade, Jak, Keira, Daxter, and Tess were sound asleep in the seats behind the cockpit. Jak was moving around uncomfortably, as usual, while Keira was doing the same. They both were having nightmares. They both suddenly woke up from them, and then turned to each other.

"The nightmares are bothering you again aren't they?" Keira asked her husband.

"Yeah," Jak replied, "But…this one's different. This one was unlike any of the other ones I had."

"What did you see?" Keira wondered. Since she had nightmares too, she was even more curious to see if Jak saw the same thing.

Jak began his thorough description; "I saw my father, he was holding me when I was a baby. He was arguing with this woman who held another baby. I think Damas tried to get rid of her and the other child because he said it was 'good for the city,' or something like that. Anyway, the woman broke down crying, and she ran off with the other baby, leaving Damas and I alone in the palace. Funny," Jak began to drift off and ponder, "Once I figured out who my real father was, I always wondered who and where my real mother would be."

"Strange…"Keira began to ponder too, "I was having the same thing almost! I saw a woman who looked just like me, screaming and crying of agonizing pain. Then, I saw my father stand in front of some court. Some old guy was being the judge, and he charged him with breaking the Jedi Code twice! Anyway, the woman gave birth to a child, and then she died shortly thereafter. It was quite terrifying to say the least."

"This is nuts," Jak became uneasy. But the more he thought about it, the more he was starting to put things together. "Maybe," Jak began whimsically, "our mothers are the people we need to talk to when we meditate!"

"Yeah!" Keira exclaimed in agreement, "Maybe they hold the key to our destiny!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, honey." Jak concurred. Suddenly, Ratchet turned around in his seat and looked at the exhausted travellers slumping in their seats. That woke Tess up in a hurry as she jumped and squealed out of surprise. Keira was able to calm her down, while Jak was trying to nudge Daxter in the seat on his right to wake him up.

"Good morning passengers!" Ratchet announced with bravado. "Time to wake up! We're closing in on Coruscant fast, so drink your coffee and spice yourselves up, because the adventure is about to begin!"

Ratchet took the Renegade out of light speed, and in front of them was this dark planet with red and orange patterns on it. There was a little white crescent showing on the far side of the planet, and that was the area where Ratchet took the ship. The whole planet was surrounded by and Imperial blockade riddled with small Star Destroyers and TIE fighters.

"Coruscant," Clank began to formally introduce the planet to everyone, "capitol of our galaxy, Home of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order, before both were sacked by the uprisings of the Empire. It's safe to say that this planet has definitely had its better days before." As the Renegade drew closer and closer into the planet's orbit, Daxter slowly woke up. It was evident to everyone else on the ship that he was in a groggy, crabby mood.

Daxter began to whine, "Ugh! Why did I agree to go on this CRAZY ADVENTURE with you guys!? 'Use the Force, fling a wimp stick around, stop the Empire, save the universe!' I WANNA GO HOME!"

"Daxter!" Keira harshly barked at the ottsel, "In case you haven't noticed, we don't have a home anymore!"

"Believe me Dax," Jak chimed in speaking in a calmer tone, "None of us here like this situation any better than you do, but we might as well make the best of it. Besides, who else would be better to put the Empire in their place than us?"

"That's the spirit!" Ratchet yelped in encouragement.

"But I still don't get it!" Daxter continued, "Why does old green stuff have you go through all of this voodoo crap, when we can just take the Empire head-on just like we did with everyone else!"

"Because that's not the way this plan works." Jak answered. "This Empire is full of darkness, Dax. We'll need all the source of power we can get, you know that!"

"Sheesh, Jak," Daxter complained even more, "You've always had a way with words, especially when it comes to not giving me the complete answers to all the questions I ask! Why is that?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Jak asked him sternly. Daxter slumped in his seat with his arms folded and a pouty expression drawn on his face. Tess scurried over to the cockpit, and tapped Ratchet on the shoulder.

"Uh…Ratchet," Tess began to ask, "I couldn't help but notice the Imperial blockade orbiting the planet, and you bypassed them without asking us for landing permission, or them shooting us down. Why is that?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Ratchet started to answer the female ottsel, "I installed a cloaking device on both ships before we left. It makes this old girl invisible every time we come into orbit with a planet." He then finished mischievously "No one will ever know…"

"Wow!" Tess yelped in wonder, "Ingenious!"

"Indeed." Clank added in agreement. As the Renegade hit the atmosphere of Coruscant, Keira looked to the side, and her eyes beamed with wonder and her jaw dropped in amazement. She gasped as she looked down on the high concentration of population and diversity on the streets. She was mesmerized.

"This is amazing!" Keira shouted. "There's so much to do and so much to see here! This place looks a lot better than home on it's best day! Who wouldn't want to live here?"

"Don't be fooled, Keira," Clank interjected with caution, "The people of Coruscant were happy to live here once before, but not now unfortunately. Since the Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire here, this place has been plagued by nothing but totalitarianism and oppression from Imperial forces. It's that way for other planets across the galaxy, but since that this is the galaxy's capitol, the oppression is most abundant here."

Keira grew suspicious of Clank's knowledge of this planet. She said to the robot, "You seem to know a lot about this planet. Have you been here before?"

"What? No!" Clank exclaimed nervously, "I've conducted some extensive research on this planet right when we departed from Raxus Prime. It was quite tedious looking at the statistics, the footage, the demographics-"

"He knows all before anyone else does Keira," Ratchet interjected, "trust me."

"Yeah, I'll trust you boys to it then." Keira scoffed at them.

Tess suddenly spoke to everyone, "Is that the Jedi Temple?" This prompted Jak to pull out a drawing of the Temple that Samos gave him before they departed from Raxus prime. He walked up to the cockpit, and matched the picture with the obscure structure.

"I'm afraid it is," Jak coldly answered. He was right. The great Jedi Temple that they were searching for was right in front of them, and it appeared to be nearly destroyed. There were holes on the rooftops and fire was burning out of each hole. Four towers fell out of their place but only one remained standing; the great tower that stood at the center of the Jedi Temple. They noticed that there were tens and thousands of Imperial Storm Troopers marching around the perimeter of the temple, and the front door was sealed off by the one of the towers that fell.

"We're gonna have to land far away from here so that we don't get stormed immediately," Ratchet figured, "we'll have to make a quiet approach to sneak through the alleys, and then make the best attack we can. There are thousands of them, but we have no other choice."

"Let's storm in there and go like hell." Jak declared with confidence, "We can take it to 'em! We've done it before!"

They landed the renegade in a dark alley far from the Temple, and all exited quietly. Jak and Daxter were the last to depart from the ship.

"Dax, wait a moment," he spoke to the ottsel. He continued with his words of encouragement; "Look, I know this isn't the way we would normally do things but it's the only way we have to do it. This Empire is unlike anything that we've ever dealt with before. They're darker, more dangerous, and they're relentless. We need the Force on our side for this. If we keep doing the same thing all the time, we'll end up dead and the whole galaxy will end up lost, so we got to switch things up a bit. The enemies we face may change, but one thing will always remain the same; we'll always be kicking ass together. What do you say pal? Demolition Duo?"

Daxter thought for a few moments, and then came to reasoning. He turned to his best friend and told him, "Demolition Duo forever, pal!"

"All right!" Jak cheered as Daxter perched on top of Jak's left shoulder as usual. "Let's go kick some Imperial ass!" The three pairs of hero-sidekicks then marched to the Jedi Temple. They looked at the massive Imperial forces patrolling on the steps, and then they all looked up at the Temple in awe.

"It looks even bigger when you're on the ground!" Keira exclaimed.

"You there!" A storm trooper called out to them. "This is a restricted area. You must leave or face penalties for trespassing."

"I believe I'll take my chances," Jak sneered at him. He took his light saber and drew it through the storm trooper's chest. Keira drew her weapon and Ratchet took out his ion cannon. Jak turned to Daxter and asked him, "Now, are you ready to make some noise, Dax?"

"OH YEAH!" Daxter called out, "Lets beat some Imperial hiney!"

The six heroes charged at the Imperial army. Sheets of blasts and explosions from the storm troopers attempted to bombard them, but they were not fazed by any of the opposing attacks. Relentlessly, they pushed on. Ratchet led the charge by shooting down as many storm troopers as he could with his ion cannon, while Jak and Keira wielded their light sabers to block shots from heavy Imperial artillery, and they sliced, diced, and stabbed thousands of troopers. The battle was a long struggle that lasted for hours, but in the end, the six heroes made it to the top of the steps alive. One problem: the fallen tower was still blocking the entrance to the Temple.

"Oh great!" Ratchet exaggerated with agitation, "how are we gonna move this thing?"

"Ahem," Jak stepped up and cleared his throat, "Allow US to move it out of the way." He then turned to his wife and called to her, "Keira. Help me move this giant hunk of stone."

"Certainly, big guy!" Keira followed. She and Jak withdrew their weapons for the moment and closed their eyes and concentrated on the fallen apparatus. They put their hands out in front of them, trying to move the fallen tower out of the way. Moments later, it budged, and then it levitated off the ground. Daxter, Tess, Ratchet, and Clank gazed in amazement, watching in total disbelief that Jak and Keira could levitate the fallen structure off the ground by themselves.

"Look out!" Tess suddenly yelled. She was the first to see a bounty hunter with jetpack shoes flying towards them. Ratchet aimed his cannon at him, but missed, and hit the tower instead. The levitating tower exploded into shards of stone, and everyone ducked to dodge the debris. When they rose, they saw the bounty hunter stand in the doorway. He had blue skin, red eyes, and was dressed in a cowboy outfit, wearing a brown overcoat and a large hat. He had a breathing device surround his cheeks. He grinned at Jak and Keira.

"Well, well, well," the bounty hunter started in his distorted voice, "look what we have here, two Jedi for my taking."

"Now just who the heck are you?" Daxter cried in outburst.

"Don't you two dumb Jedi know who I am?" The bounty hunter asked. All six of them stood perplexed looking at each other. They obviously have never seen him before. Regardless, the bounty hunter introduced himself anyway, "I am Cad Bane, the most notorious Jedi bounty hunter in the galaxy! I knew someday that a few hopeless Jedi would be dumb enough to go back here and save their precious Jedi Temple. Both of your heads will be worth a lot of credits so…I'll be taking you both back to Jabba now."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ratchet boisterously barged through and immediately opened fire at the bounty hunter. Cad Bane was able to dodge all of Ratchet's shots and bought himself enough time to draw his pistols. He shot at Jak and Keira repeatedly, but they drew their light sabers just in time for them to block his shots. Jak charged at him and swung towards his head, but missed. That allowed Bane to elbow him in the back of the neck, knocking him down temporarily. Keira tried to attack but was halted when Bane shot his flamethrower towards her. Jak saw this, and kicked Cad Bane in the back of the knee, knocking him down. Jak stood up, drawing his light saber towards his head, and ready to strike him down. But Bane grabbed his arm and delivered an electrical shock through his body, neutralizing him. Bane threw him to the ground, and proceeded to shoot at Keira and Ratchet.

Keira protected the lombax by blocking all of Cad Bane's shots. She blocked all except for one that grazed her shoulder, causing her to fall down. Ratchet took over and took a semi-automatic blaster. Shooting at the bounty hunter. He had minimal success. Jak all of the sudden saw his wife laid on the ground writhing in pain. He immediately rushed to her. Daxter followed.

"Are you all right?" Jak asked her, picking her up on her own feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Keira replied to him as she healed herself with green eco. She continued to him, "That bounty hunter is no joke."

"I'll show him 'no joke!'" Jak cried with anger. He suddenly transformed into a different figure. Everything from head to toe (including his clothes) had turned into a bright shade of blue, his eyes turned white, and he grew eight wings on his back. Jak transformed into his light eco form, and stared Cad Bane down. His enemy turned away from Ratchet, and faced Jak.

"There's the hero I married!" Keira shrieked in excitement.

"My oh my," Cad Bane gazed in wonder, "You are a truly interesting specimen of Jedi. That just makes your head worth that much more! No I'll REALLY get paid!" Bane shot his pistols at Jak, but his shots were deflected off of Jak's right palm. Jak then levitated the bounty hunter, and created a ball of light eco with his hands. He threw the ball at Cad Bane, tossing him against the arch of the doorway. He plummeted back down to the ground with a hard impact. As he struggled to get up and grab his hat, he snarled, "See if you can catch me you freak!" He turned on his Jetpack shoes, and flew upwards towards the sky.

"I'll go deal with our sharp shooting friend from the sky," Jak said to his wife and comrades as he drew his light saber, "While the rest of you go into the Temple and shoot down more Imperials."

"Right! On it!" Keira affirmed as she watched her husband flap his wings and flew off into the air with Daxter grabbing his shoulder.

"Well what are you waiting for!?" Ratchet yelled at Keira, Tess, and Clank, commanding them to storm the temple, "Let's take this temple!" Ratchet then screamed as he ran off into the temple firing his gun.

"Ratchet! Wait up!" Keira yelled back. Before she could chase him down, she saw Ratchet fly through the air right in front of her. He was screaming in agonizing pain as he was covered in violent shots of force lightning. Keira, Clank, and Tess ducked to avoid him, as Ratchet was sent bouncing and tumbling down the steps of the Jedi Temple. Keira stood up and looked forward, while Tess ran up and perched on her shoulder. The next thing they saw was a black-cloaked figure drawing two red light sabers. Tess and Clank gulped, while Keira looked at the figure with defiance, and walked towards it with her light saber drawn and in hand.


	10. Chapter 10: Keira's First Duel

Chapter 10: Keira's First Duel

The black-cloaked figure with two red light sabers drawn softly and sinisterly spoke to Keira as she approached it; "Come, young Jedi. Your fall will bring me one step closer to my redemption!" Then, the acolyte dropped her cloak. She was tall, emaciated, and had pale white skin with no hair whatsoever. From the shoulders down to her forearms, she was wrapped in linen cloth, and from the waist down she was wearing a black blouse with intricate silver patterns. She had devil-like sapphire eyes that gleamed like a cat towards Keira's stern countenance.

"You must be one of Darth Vader's assasins!" Keira sneered at her enemy.

"I serve on no one's side, only my own." The Dark Jedi hissed. "I am not even aware of this, 'Darth Vader,' of whom you speak of. The Sith betrayed me in my moment of need…twice! Now, because of them, my rage has been fueled just enough to give me the motivation to overthrow the Empire they created! However…I always enjoy killing weak Jedi."

An angered Keira retorted, "I'll show you weak!" as she pointed her blade at her opponent.

The Dark Jedi chuckled evilly and replied, "You Jedi are so naive, so gallant, yet so pointless. Can't you see? Your order has been obstructed and overrun! You're cause: hardly worth anything anymore. So give up, retract your blade, and walk away with your life spared."

"I don't take orders from a hairless, wretched witch!" Keira yelled at her with vehement anger.

The Dark Jedi grew furious at her opponent. Her eyes were peeled, but they gleamed with rage. She softly snarled to her, "Then you shall meet your fate under my blade, Jedi!"

As Tess swallowed her throat in fear as she was perched on Keira's shoulder, The Dark Jedi struck her two red light sabers towards Keira's one purple one. She released, and then continued to swing at Keira's saber violently before Keira jumped over her. Based on the timid expression on her face and her arms shaking with fear as she held her weapon with a tight grip, Keira was overwhelmed by the sheer power, skill, and flexibility her opponent had. The assassin charged after her, swinging her swords left and right in all directions, driving her back further and further into the grand corridor. Keira blocked all of her strikes, but was eventually kicked in the chest by her adversary and she flew all the way into Jedi library.

Interestingly enough, the entrance to the Jedi Temple actually led into the third floor, instead of the first. What was even more interesting was that the Imperial troopers were opening fire at the Dark Jedi that she faced instead of her. As Keira got up, she would also become bombarded with blasts from the storm troopers. Although she blocked the shots with her light saber, she was driven back until she was standing back to back with the opponent that faced her, with a horde of Imperial troopers surrounding them at gunpoint.

Meanwhile, outside of the Temple, Jak in his light eco form was flying around and trying to chase down the notorious bounty hunter, Cad Bane. They flew around the central tower of the Temple trying to shoot each other down. Bane unleashed his pistols and opened fire towards Jak. Jak was able to block them with his light saber, so Bane turned to fly upwards towards the top of the tower. Bane used his flamethrower in an effort to burn Jak's wings off, plummeting him down a long fall ending with a hard impact on the stone edifice's roof. However, Jak was able to dodge these bursts of flame, and proceeded to dismantle Bane's jet shoes with a burst of light eco. The bounty hunter then stood clinging to the top of the tower where Jak met him with his light saber drawn.

At this point, Jak had Cad Bane right where he wanted him. Bane was struggling to gain footing on the steep tip of the tower while Jak was able to manage. Just as Jak was about to strike the bounty hunter down, Bane drew one of his pistols quickly and shot Jak in the wrist that was holding his weapon. This caused Jak to drop his sword, and Bane chased it down as it fell by using a grapple cable to latch on to the ledge and to swing downward to catch it before it fell and broke. As Bane drew Jak's light saber as he stood on top of the rooftop, Jak stared him down with the eyes of a hawk.

"He's got your laser sword, Jak!" Daxter frantically exclaimed, "What are we going to do now!?" Without any further word, Jak jumped from the top of the tower and swooped down towards the direction of Cad Bane. This caused Daxter to grow even more anxious. He yelled as they flew, "Wait, you're gonna fly down there? With no weapons in hand!? Oh great! Not only is this guy gonna be rich, he's gonna have sliced ottsel as his main course tonight!"

"We'll see who has the upper hand this time, Jedi." Cad Bane sneered quietly to himself. As Bane lifted the sword to strike Jak down, Jak was able to use his right hand to clench Bane's wrist, thus neutralizing him with light eco. Bane screamed of agonizing pain as the eco was disrupting his blood flow. Jak then landed on his own two feet and reached Bane over the ledge of the rooftop. The pain that Cad Bane suffered was so excruciating that it caused him to drop Jak's light saber. Jak then retrieved it with his left hand as it retracted.

"Now," Jak started, "are you gonna leave us alone?"

"JUST KILL ME! PLEASE!" Bane shrieked of agony as his breathing apparatus was malfunctioning, "DO YOUR WORST, I BEG OF YOU! YOU'VE BEATEN ME FAIR AND SQUARE! I DON'T WANT THIS LIFE ANYMORE!"

"There must be a better answer than this!" Jak demanded, "I didn't come here to kill you, specifically. I just came here to search for my true destiny. Honestly, I had no idea who you were until you attacked us! Just leave us alone, and I'll spare you."

"I already am at peace as the shadows of death consume me," Bane's voice weakened as he began to expire. He spoke softly to Jak for the final time, "You win, Jedi." Jak then dropped Bane as he fell onto the hard concrete in front of the entrance of the Jedi Temple. Ratchet was racing his way back upwards as Bane's body landed in front of him. Jak saw Ratchet and swooped down from the rooftop to meet him on top of the steps. As he landed, he changed back into his normal form.

Daxter then proceeded to chide at his sidekick, "Next time you use your eco powers when you use the Force and your laser sword and all that crap; DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN! I'm pretty sure I lost at least half of my fur you scared me so much!"

"All right! You got him!" Ratchet exclaimed excitedly as he looked at Cad Bane's disfigured corpse.

"Yeah, I did," Jak softly affirmed, but then switched the subject around, "Where's Keira?"

"She's in there, but I think she's in trouble!" Ratchet told him.

"Well what the hell are we standing around here for!? Come on!" Jak commanded urgently. Just like that, they rushed through the corridor of the Jedi Temple to find and aid Keira, who was still surrounded by an army of storm troopers that were aiming their weapons at her. Interestingly enough, the adversary that she crossed blades with is also held at gunpoint with her.

"You are both enemies of the Empire for trespassing in a restricted area and causing obstruction within the Empire's property," a storm trooper stated. Then he commanded, "Surrender and die!"

They both retracted their swords and closed their eyes. The Imperial troopers drew closer to them, ready to apprehend them. Then all of the sudden, Keira and the acolyte unleashed a massive ring of Force energy that ejected all of the storm troopers hundreds of feet around them, knocking them out. They still stood back to back, hiding feelings of ire for a few moments.

"Thanks for saving my skin." The Dark Jedi hissed at Keira. All of the sudden, Keira drew out her weapon and pivoted toward her right to strike at her opponent, but the acolyte drew her left sword in just enough time for it to make contact with Keira's strike. The two swords held together for a few seconds.

"I wasn't planning on it!" She sneered as she held her sword against her opponent's. In response, the acolyte kicked Keira in the stomach, causing her to lurch forward. Then she proceeded to kick Keira in the back of the knees, knocking her face down on the ground. She then dragged Keira by the hair and tossed her over the ledge, sending her down on a long, painful fall to the first floor of the Temple, where the Jedi Archives were located. Soon, another army of storm troopers aimed their blasters at the helpless Jedi Knight.

"Let's leave our sharp shooting 'friends' out of this," She declared to the troopers using a Jedi mind trick, "and finish this fight ourselves. Whoever is the last one standing will deal with them." The storm troopers stood down their weapons, and looked up towards the Dark Jedi.

Keira got herself up and wiped the blood away from the side of her lip. Then she ignited her light saber and defiantly replied to her, "I'll take my chances either way. Let's finish this, baldy!" The Dark Jedi growled, and leapt from the third floor all the way down to the first floor to face Keira, igniting both of her swords. The duel resumed. The acolyte spun and twisted around as she flung her light sabers towards Keira. Not only was Keira blocking some strikes, but she was also able to use flips, somersaults, and cartwheels all over the place to avoid the strikes heading towards her. The acolyte chased her down with a few acrobatic moves of her own, using the walls and the shelves of the Jedi Archives to her leverage.

While those two continued their duel with each other, Jak, Daxter, Ratchet, and Clank all rushed into the third floor of the temple, where they witnessed the aftermath of the storm trooper massacre that Keira and her adversary ignited. They noticed the unresponsive bodies of the fallen Imperial troopers, but Keira was nowhere in sight.

"Where is she?" Jak asked Ratchet, who responded to him by pointing down towards the first floor. All they could see were two faint read beams striking at a faint purple one. Jak knew Keira was in trouble and spoke with urgency, "We have to help her! She's in trouble!"

"We!?" Ratchet replied to him, "What do you mean, 'We'!? You're the one that's married to her!"

"Good point," Jak assured himself as Daxter hit him in the back of the head.

"Clank and I will take care of these Imperial crud-buckets," Ratchet started to him, "While you two help out Keira and Tess with that…whatever that bald thing is."

"Sounds like a plan!" Jak affirmed, "I'll see you both down there."

While Ratchet and Clank flew off the ledge and started to throw bombs at the Imperial Troopers that shot at them from below, Jak jumped down onto the first floor approximately ten feet away from his wife's duel with the female Dark Acolyte. Keira and her opponent heard Jak ignite his light saber, and they both interrupted their duel to look at him.

"Jak," Keira began to speak towards her husband with an agitated tone, "What are you doing here? You should be helping Ratchet. I got this covered." Just like that, Keira was hit with a short shock of Force lightning that came from her fellow duelist, as she was forced approximately thirty feet in the air by the shock and made a hard impact onto the ground. "Cheap shot…"She spoke to herself in a raspy voice as she struggled to get up. She looked at her enemy facing her husband.

"My oh my," The Dark Jedi started in a harsh, yet sarcastic tone, "Another Jedi to the rescue. He swooped in the nick of time to save his companion, because both of them are driven by the bonds of love!" She continued with a sinisterly glee laughter and then finished darkly, "How utterly pathetic."

Just after she said this, she unleashed a longer shock of Force lightning towards Jak, but this time she was not able to bring Jak down. Instead, Jak captured the lightning with his right hand and was able to convert it into a round, head-sized orb of light eco. Daxter, Tess, and Keria looked on with amazement as they saw Jak stop Force lightning with his bare hands. Jak then blasted that source of light eco towards the Dark Acolyte, ejecting her from the ground and sending her flying into the bookshelves of the Jedi Archives, which then fell on top of her.

After Keira marveled at Jak using the abilities he most recently discovered, she became angry with her husband again. "Jak!" She began to yell at him, "I had her right where I wanted her until you came along!"

"Well obviously you didn't," Jak replied with a smart remark, "She was driving you back and then she hit you with Force lightning. If I didn't swoop in you would've probably been dead."

Keira became infuriated with Jak with that instant remark. She looked up towards the third floor where Ratchet and Clank were, and then looked to the side as the Dark Acolyte broke out of the wrecked debris and drew her light sabers again. She turned to Jak and told him, "Look, Ratchet is nearly helpless fighting off those Imperial Troopers! He needs more assistance than I do. Trust me, I can handle myself fine. So go help him, now!"

Jak quickly replied, "But, Keira-"

"NOW!" She yelled back at him with demand.

"ALRIGHT! Sheesh…"an annoyed Jak affirmed as he ran off towards the struggling Ratchet. As he was running, he turned to Daxter and told him, "…the one time I try to help my wife in her most desperate time of need, and I get yelled at for doing so."

"That's why I don't want to get married," Daxter replied to him.

With Daxter clinging and swinging around his shoulder, Jak used his light saber to maneuver the oncoming charge from a group of storm troopers. After he struck all of them down with his weapon, he leapt from the first to the third floor to aid Ratchet and Clank, blocking blasts into more storm troopers in the process. He rushed to aid his friends who were struggling to get past a blockade of Imperial troopers.

"I thought you wanted to help Keira!" Ratchet said to him as he was firing his two plasma pistols at the blockade.

"I did!" Jak replied as he deflected blasts from storm troopers with is sword, "But then she kinda got mad at me when I tried to. Not sure why, but she told me to come help you!"

"Well, it's her funeral," Ratchet continued to him, "We got Imperial troopers crawling all over the place! They're blocking out the entrance to the elevator for the center tower!"

"Of course they are," Jak affirmed, "But we'll have to keep pushing forward. We can take 'em! Come on!"

Soon, Clank would transform into a new defense system with blasters that Keira designed for him, and Daxter would transform into his dark form. Led by Ratchet with his arsenal of weapons and Jak with his sword guided by the Force, the four of them knocked all of the storm troopers on their backs and made their work towards the elevator to the center tower of the Jedi Temple.

While they managed to push forward, Keira struggled in her duel and was only going backwards. The Dark Jedi that she was fighting was striking towards her with more vigor, and Keira could not come up with a decisive counterattack. Her opponent swung, spun, jumped, swept, and struck towards her, causing Tess to fall off her shoulder. Every time Keira crossed her blade with one of her opponent's light sabers, she struck at her with the other one, causing her to duck, dive, roll, scurry, and hide throughout several areas of the floor.

Keira's female ottsel companion could only sit and watch hopelessly. As she watched her friend struggle to fend off the Dark Jedi, her optimism for Keira winning this fight grew dim. That fatalistic thought was quickly replaced with suspicion, as she heard someone leaping across the Jedi Library. She then saw a dark shadow along the walls, and quickly ran off to follow it.

Keira and the enemy that stood in front of her struck at each other's blades until Keira was able to knock her opponent off her footing and on her back. The Dark Jedi crossed her blades to block and hold Keira's powerful chop, and the two gritted their teeth and squinted their eyes with fierce strength driven from rage. The Acolyte eventually pushed Keira off of her, ejecting her into several feet in air and knocking her on her back approximately fifty yards from her original position. As she made a hard impact with the ground, she dropped her light saber. The Dark Jedi leapt towards the defenseless Keira and twirled her red blades until she pointed them down towards Keira. Then all of the sudden, the process of her dispatching her fallen opponent was interrupted by an orange figure that leapt out of the air and knocked her down.

Keira then sat up, disoriented, and perplexed at what she saw in her blurred vision. She saw her enemy knocked down by someone with a very peculiar figure; She had orange skin and was wearing white pants with maroon-colored boots, short skirt, and top. She also had leather forearm guards and drew a green light saber in reversed grip. She looked a couple years younger than Keira, though not that far off from her. What made Keira even more curious was the blue and white headdress she wore and the small, intricate white patterns on her orange face. She had big, bright blue eyes that stared her opponent down with anger. She was human-like, but different.


	11. Chapter 11: A New Friend

Chapter 11: A New Friend

"Ventress!" The female warrior suddenly yelled down to the fallen Dark Jedi, "I knew you haven't changed a bit! I could sense that you lied to me about the 'new you' the last time we met!" Ventress then sprung up and drew her light sabers once more, and spun around while striking her blades with her new opponent.

As they held their blades together, Ventress sprung up and continued, "I was hoping that I would never see your filthy face ever again you worthless Padawan pest! There is no hope for you now, young one. Have you come back here in search of your precious Master Skywalker to help you find you're way again? Well you're too late for that, because he's dead, just like the rest of the Jedi that served in the pathetic Order!"

"You did this…" She growled in reply.

Ventress chuckled and then declared to her, "I had no part in participating in the façade that caused the debacle of the Jedi, but if the shoe fits, I will be more than happy to wear it!"

The young Jedi charged at her enemy, swinging and striking at the Dark Acolyte's two light sabers with vigor, then used an acrobatic kick to knock one of her opponent's blades out of her left hand. Then, it was Ventress' turn on the offensive, as she struck her enemy with rage. They chased each other around the library, flipping and leaping off walls, counters, shelves and ledges, while striking their blades at each other. Tess tended to the wounded Keira, who watched the new Jedi move with wonder.

Finally, Ventress was able to knock the young Jedi down by elbowing her mid-air. This caused the Jedi Knight to lose her light saber as she fell hard on to the ground. Ventress recovered the weapon that she lost, and ignited it. She crossed them together as she levitated her enemy with Force choke. She held her blades together and surrounded the tips parallel to her enemy's neck. She was ready to decapitate her.

"At last, I have waited for this moment for a long time…" Ventress declared to the choking Jedi with pride and euphoria, "You have pestered the Force ever since we made contact with each other. I have loathed and detested the Jedi in general, but out of all of them, you were the most despicable! I tricked you with my kindness and my 'reinvention' because I knew that it would bring me one step closer to destroying you. You Jedi are so gullible, you'll buy into anything these days! Such a shame that Skywalker has come and gone now, because this time, he won't bail you out from the misery you are about to face!"

The Jedi closed her eyes while gasping for breath, thinking that this was going to be it for her. She then heard a light saber ignite, followed by Ventres exerting a short gasp. She then dropped to the ground, gagging for air. As she was on her knees and hands coughing, she looked up and saw Keira holding her green light saber that pierced through Ventress' stomach.

"I think that's enough talking for one lifetime," Keira quietly mocked into Ventress' ear. The fallen Dark Jedi closed her eyes, gasped one last breath, and fell flat onto the ground lifelessly as Keira retracted the green blade. Keira then turned to the Jedi that saved her first and held out her light saber. She continued to her, "I believe this belongs to you?"

The young Jedi picked up Keira's light saber and replied to her, "Wanna make a trade?" They exchanged their weapons and tucked them away.

"Thanks for coming in out of nowhere and saving me," Keira expressed her gratitude to her new friend, "I thought I was gonna die until you came in."

"Thank YOU for saving me!" The Jedi replied to her, "That hairless harpie had no idea that was coming!"

"Well if I wasn't losing I wouldn't have ever been able to set that up," Keira jokingly bragged to her.

The Jedi chuckled for a little bit and reached her hand out in introduction, "The name's Ahsoka, Ahsoka Tano."

"I'm Keira, Keira Hagai. And this is Tess on my shoulder here," She began to introduce herself to her new friend and shook hands with her. She continued by asking her, "So you're a Jedi too?"

"Well, I was well on my way to becoming a Jedi Knight," Ahsoka started, "but then I left the Jedi Order in my late stages as a Padawan for personal reasons. Then I felt a disturbance from the Force telling me that the Jedi Order was in trouble, and that the Temple was being destroyed. So I rushed as quickly as I could to get here so I could make a valiant effort to save the one entity that has become my life. Too little too late obviously." Then she asked Keira, "I've never seen your kind before. What part of the galaxy are you from?"

"A planet called Eco," Keira started, "It's a planet that's on a distant unknown region in the Outer Rim, and it's called Eco because it was named after the substance that keeps the life force of our planet flowing. It's similar if not exactly the same as what the Force would be anywhere else. There are many types of eco with several different colors. For example, I am what I would normally be called a Green Eco Sage. I can channel green eco energy and do amazing things like communicating with plants and such. That's how I got my Force abilities in the first place. It's really hard to channel green eco energy here because there really isn't any plant life at all, which is probably why I struggled with that duel anyway."

"Fascinating!" Ahsoka exclaimed in wonder, then continued by asking her, "So, what are you doing all the way out here in the Jedi Temple then?"

"The Empire came and ransacked our planet," Keira replied with sorrow, "You see, my father is a Green Eco Sage as well and he was once a Jedi Knight too apparently. Somehow he heard about this and taught Jak and I the ways of the Force. Unfortunately, it was not enough, and a Sith Lord named Darth Vader destroyed everything that we knew on that planet. So me and the rest of our friends fled from that planet and split up all around the galaxy to search for secrets that can destroy the Empire once and for all."

"Wow," a stunned Ahsoka said to herself, "I wonder who started this, 'Empire.'" Then she continued to Keira, "Who is Jak?"

"Oh, Jak?" Keira began, "He's my husband. You'll see him soon. He should be done with those Imperial cronies by now," then she looked down at the dead corpse that lay on the ground and asked Ahsoka, "You knew who this, 'thing' was?"

"Yes," Ahsoka replied, "This was a Dark Jedi warrior by the name of Asajj Ventress. She was an apprentice of the late Sith Lord called Count Dooku. She's been after the Jedi for many years during the Clone Wars-"

"The Clone Wars?" Keira interrupted her.

"Yes," Ahsoka replied again, "You see, we were fighting a terrible war against an organization called The Trade Federation. The Republic needed an army to help fend off their multiplying forces. In fact…" she turned to a fallen storm trooper and walked to inspect it. Keira and Tess followed. Ahsoka concluded, "I believe that these troopers that attacked you earlier were the clones!"

"These came from the Clone Army?" Keira asked her in shock, "These guys fought on YOUR side!?"

"I'm afraid so," Ahsoka answered grimly, "Though I can't say that I am surprised. There have been several reports of someone ordering troops to kill Jedi and each other, but I can't figure out who…" Ahsoka drifted off into ponder.

"Vader!" Keira exclaimed, "He must have been the one who did all of this! He must have been the one who attacked the Jedi here! He came to our planet to try and stop Jak and I from becoming Jedi!"

"You're very smart," Ahsoka began to compliment her new friend, "there may be hope for you in the Force after all!" Then she pondered again, "But the question still remains: Who really is Darth Vader?"

"Hopefully all of those answers will be revealed when I meditate here," Keira formulated, "You see, that's why I am here in the first place. My Father sent Jak and I out here for that. He says its part of the training."

"I know of a perfect spot underground that will give you the peace and quiet you need to search for the answers in which you seek," Ahsoka offered to Keira. Then she encouraged her, "follow me." Ahsoka led the way out of the rummaged Jedi Library into a hidden elevator shaft. Keira and Tess followed her into the elevator, and they descended underground.

Meanwhile, the boys were back to normal, with their weapons tucked away, and were casually walking towards the elevator shaft that led to the top of the center tower. Ratchet and Jak led the way while Daxter and Clank followed close behind.

"I told you we could take them." Jak affirmed to his lombax friend with confidence, patting him on the back.

"Yup. You were right!" Ratchet agreed. "Hell of a bloodbath too."

"Uhh…Jak?" Daxter asked him out of concern, "Shouldn't we go back to help Keira and Tess out? That crazy…whatever she was, probably killed them by now!"

"Relax, Dax," Jak turned to him in a calm voice, "Keira and Tess are alive, safe, and well. I could sense it." He then turned around and approached the door. He noticed that there was a security lock on the left side of it. He turned to Clank and requested to him, "Clank, try to unlock this elevator door for me please?"

"Yes sir!" Clank affirmed and pushed his small finger through the small keyhole. He twisted and turned his hand around all different directions as if he was trying to figure out a combination for a locker.

"I'm gonna go in there and do what I need to do," He declared to Daxter and Ratchet, "You guys stand guard outside this door just incase more storm troopers come in to attack. If they do, try to fend them off as much as you can. If things get too hairy, contact me on the communicator and I will come down there immediately. You guys got it?"

"Got it, bud." Ratchet affirmed.

"You can always count on Orange Lightning, buddy!" Daxter exclaimed with bravado.

Jak chuckled in reply as the door opened in front of him. He walked inside and the elevator door closed behind him with Ratchet and Daxter looking on. Inside the elevator as it was going up, Jak pondered '_What am I gonna see in there? Is it going to be another vision of the future? I hope not. Who knows what Samos wants me to see? It'll probably be something dreadful like another vision of people that I know dying again. But then again, there's a method to his madness, and it's always worked out well for me, right? How bad could it be?"_

The door opened into a small circular room with an intricate flower-like design on the floor and on the dome-like ceiling as well. There were twenty small cushioned seats and large windows that surrounded the perimeter of the room, looking out into the vast city. Jak walked until he approached the center of the room, and sat down with his legs crossed. He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Soon, the landscape around him changed slowly but surely. He would then be surrounded by an array of stars in a black drop background while siting on a small platform. He heard indistinct voices but couldn't figure out what they were, until once voice spoke out loudly to him. The voice was hauntingly familiar to Jak, and he knew it.

"Jak!" The loud, familiar voice called to him. The voice continued, "Have you done as I asked? Have you found my son, Mar?" In that instant, Jak opened his eyes and was stunned beyond belief at what he then saw.


	12. Chapter 12: Visiting Mother and Father

Chapter 12: "Visiting" Mother and Father

"Damas!" Jak stood up and exclaimed to the Force Ghost. Many emotions were running through the hero's mind. He was excited, stunned, confused, happy, and remorseful all at the same time. He could see and hear his father again, but he was only an intangible apparition. After moments of confused emotions, Jak regained his humility and softly continued, "I mean…Yes…I found him, Father. That little boy that you referred to before? Well, I was that little boy."

"I know, son," Damas replied, "I knew all along."

"Wait, I thought you never knew!" Jak started as he was thrown off guard, "How did you know all this time? When did you realize that I was your son?"

"I came to that realization after your first arena match in Spargus," Damas confirmed to his son. "At first, I knew that you would turn out to be a fine warrior and pass all the tests, until you transformed into your dark eco form. That's how I knew that you were my son. That's how I knew that the prophecy that my monks have shown me many years ago, was coming into fruition."

"What prophecy?" Jak inquired.

So Damas told him, "Years before you were born, my monks in Haven City showed me a vision that they had. They predicted that I would have not one, but two heirs to the throne. Both would gain immense power, but also darkness would dwell within them. One would embrace the darkness and harness it for something good, while the other would become lost within it. I couldn't tell which was which until I saw you in Spargus for the first time. "

"I had a brother?" Jak asked again.

"Yes, a twin brother, whom I sadly saw only once." Damas affirmed with a heartbroken voice. "Unfortunately, that led to his demise. It was the worst mistake I ever made in my life."

"How did you lose him?" Jak asked his father once more.

"We were waging a terrible war with the Metal Heads and the Dark Makers," Damas began, "and I was running out of supplies and defense systems to protect the city. I had taken several bribes and broke many laws to protect the people of Haven City, but this act I was the most disgusted with myself with. You see Jak, the day after you and your brother were born, I made a deal with a gang lord whom I had connections with across the galaxy. He needed slaves on his planet and was offering me a substantial amount of credits, more than enough to purchase more powerful defense systems. He needed two people to serve him, and he reached out to me for an offer. I didn't want to give the both of you up, and I knew that you and your brother were far too young to take over the throne."

"So what did you do?" Jak asked in disgust.

The ghost took a few moments to collect his thoughts and answered, "I sold your mother and your brother to the gang lord that lived far on the other side of the galaxy. It was not an easy trade, as your mother never forgave me for what I had done to our family, and rightfully so. I was able to attain the credits I needed to keep the people of Haven safe, but that was the beginning of my family falling apart. Five years later I lost you, and the rest you know."

Jak was almost beside himself from what he had just heard. He spoke to him in a disgusted tone, "I…I don't even know what to say right now, I-"

"Jak," Damas started calmly to his son, "I'm sorry that I was never that much of a father to you. It was my fault that I never gave myself the chance to keep my family intact. I felt at the time that it was the only way to protect the people. But I was wrong. The only way to save the people of the world was through you. Although it would have never been driven into complete chaos if your brother served alongside of you."

Then Jak remembered of his failure to save Eco, and immediately felt remorse for himself rather than disgust toward his father. He replied to the ghost, "Yeah, I didn't do that much of a good job as the King of Haven City either. Because of me, our home planet is lost, the people are dying, and I'm driven all the way out here-"

"My son," Damas calmly interrupted him. "I couldn't be any more proud of the hero that you have become today. You became everything and more I would want either of my sons to be. You've saved the world many times except for this one, and that's okay. As I have learned, there are necessary casualties that need to be made to save the greater good. Your ambition and your will for strength has brought you here to save an entire universe from a greater evil, and you are slowly but surely turning into one of the greatest and most powerful warriors in the universe, even more powerful than our great Precursors themselves, the Jedi."

"You knew the Jedi?" Jak inquired in wonder.

"I gained a few of their assets and some of their wisdom to protect our planet," Damas declared, "They were helpful, wise, and reasonable beings. They gave me the tools that I needed to protect Haven City and more. Ever since I was a little boy, when my father told me fables of the great Jedi Knights of the Old Republic, I have always dreamed of becoming the first man from Eco and the first man from our lineage to become a Jedi Knight. Not just any Jedi Knight, but the bravest, strongest, and simply the best of them all. Unfortunately my ambitions were not strong enough to warrant me the connections to fulfill that dream, so when I gained the connections necessary to meet them, I was far too old to become one. But now you are here, in the Jedi Temple of Coruscant, my son. You currently stand in the same area where the wisest and most powerful Jedi Knights on the Jedi Council would congregate and discuss methods to save the galaxy from any opposing harm. You have taken it upon yourself to attempt an endeavor that I was not strong enough to embark on. I am beyond thrilled with joy that you are embarking on the greatest endeavor a warrior could take on, and I KNOW you will meet the expectations necessary to save this universe from the brink of destruction."

"Thanks, Father," Jak said to him in confidence. He was feeling better about his destiny already. But one question remained still; "I know one half of the equation, but I don't know the other half. Who was my mother?"

"Her name was Shmi," Damas answered him. "and I sold her to a slave owner in a planet called Tatooine. She was the most beautiful woman I ever saw in the whole world, and yet she was different. She was down-to-earth, wise, and caring for others. She was willing to set herself apart from all the other women in the world, and that is why I chose her to become my queen. Letting her go was a foolish mistake, and it broke my heart when I did. So take my advice: the woman that you have now, you never let her go under any circumstances. You keep her by your side, day and night, by whatever means. You will not commit the grave mistake I made. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father." Jak affirmed.

"Good," Damas began to finish with his son, "Now since I am not a Jedi, I cannot help you with your quest to become one. This is YOUR destiny to fulfill. However, just know that I will ALWAYS be by your side no matter what, until the very end."

"Wait!" Jak cried out to his father's ghost as it began to vanish, "I have so much more I need to know! I have so many questions that I need to ask! Father! Wait!"

"All will be revealed soon!" Damas cried back to his son as his voice began to fade "Search for the answers within you, Mar! You will soon know of the truth! YOU WILL FUFILL YOUR DESTINY!" When Damas vanished into deep space, Jak saw another spirit come before him in thin air. This spirit was more slender than Damas, and he was adorned in several layers of robes. He had a beard, long, dark hair, a short ponytail, and dark, gleaming eyes that stared deep within Jak's soul.

"Now who the hell are you!?" Jak called out to the spirit in agitation.

The spirit replied, "Don't fret my angry young friend. I am someone completely un-related to you, but know of the whereabouts of your family. I am a former Jedi Master that just so happened to cross with your twin brother's path. My name is Master Qui-Gon Jinn."

"Qui-Gon," Jak began to the spirit, "What the hell is going on right now? I feel so confused. Apparently I have a twin brother that I never even knew about, I just figured out who my mother was, I'm not even sure if they're alive, I have friends and a wife still scrounging around this God-forsaken temple, and on top of all that, I have to save an entire universe from this…Empire!"

"It may be overwhelming now," the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn softly assured the young Jedi, "but all of the questions that you ask yourself will be revealed to you in your journey, and your destiny will have that much more clarity. I promise."

"This 'Force Stuff' keeps getting weirder and weirder every day," Jak began to complain. Then he demanded, "Just give it to me straight!"

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that," Qui-Gon denied him. Jak grimaced in disapproval in response, but the spirit continued, "The mark of a true Jedi is one that seeks out the answers within himself, by himself, for himself. In order to attain the answers in which you seek, you must know your purpose. So I ask you, Jak Mikwa, why do you WANT to become a Jedi?"

This question confused Jak. In all of the adventures that he went on he had no idea what his purpose in life was. He knew he was a hero that was admired by millions, and he knew that he was from the legendary lineage of Mar, but he never quite figured out why he was given all the abilities that he has, and he was most confused as to why he was pursuing to become a Jedi Knight.

Jak sat down, pondered for a few moments, and guessed, "Because…Samos told me to?"

Qui-Gon shook his head in dissatisfaction. He was looking for something more out of Jak. He denied his answer, "That statement is far too insufficient for your purpose. Try again."

Jak thought even harder for an answer. He dug deeper into his mind into his mind to formulate the correct statement. He guessed again, "To get the Empire back for what they have done to my planet and to my people."

Qui-Gon then slowly nodded in some satisfaction, but was still puzzled by Jak's statement. "You're on the right track, young one," he started, "but your answer lacks a few important components. Try harder, dig deeper, and concentrate on your feelings. Look into your heart, and convey to me what it tells you."

Jak searched within himself longer, harder, and deeper than the other two attempts. He closed his eyes, and heard a collection of voices within his head. They were all incoherent, but they were all familiar to him. The voices of Daxter, Keira, Samos, Torn, Ashelin, Sig, and his father simultaneously spoke to him. These voices came from the people that counted on him most from day one on forward, and they were all collectively trying to motivate Jak to do the impossible, to save the world, and this time, the galaxy.

Jak concluded, "Because the Force calls upon me to become one. The Force calls upon me to become a Jedi in order to save the billions of people and beings that live on this galaxy. The Force calls upon me to save the galaxy from the Empire on behalf of my friends, my family, my legacy, and especially…Keira. So, I was meant to leave Eco in bombardment all along! The only way for me to save the galaxy for others is to sacrifice the comfort zone that I have lived in all of my life, and to go beyond my own bounds to do the impossible! Not just for me, but for everyone that came before me, and will come after me!"

"There, you have your answer," the spirit affirmed to him, "You have discovered your true purpose in life. When your father told me of the darkness that dwells within you, I immediately became worried that the same darkness might consume you and force you to fall into the Dark Side. However, with the answer that you gave me, there is hope for you, Young Jak. Your eco abilities make you far more unique than any other Jedi that I have seen, but it will not be enough to stand against the Empire. You still have tendencies to be brash, arrogant, and easily tempered, as these tendencies could lead you to suffering. However, you just took the first step towards righteousness, and that gives this galaxy a glimmer of hope, which is all it needs."

"So, why are you here for me?" Jak asked the spirit.

Qui-Gon Jinn answered, "Because the Force calls upon me to aid you in spiritual guidance. You need me, Jak. You need a conscience to keep you away from the temptations that can lead you into darkness forever. You have been struggling with nightmares triggered by fear, and fear is a path that leads to the Dark Side. Neither you, or your loved ones, or even this galaxy can afford that to happen. You have proven time and again that you are brave, heroic, and powerful, but we must hone your humility to help you attain a greater power than you can possibly imagine. But you must realize that with great power comes with great responsibility, all controlled by great wisdom. Can you do that, Jak?"

"Yes, Master," Jak answered to the ghost as he stood up. He looked into Qui-Gon's eyes with confidence and told him, "the check is in the mail!"

"Exciting," Qui-Gon spoke with satisfaction and relief, "You are bold indeed, and I am most eager to guide you on your epic journey."

Then, the spirit told him of his next task, "But before I can guide you, you must go to the planet of Tatooine to discover the fate of your mother and your twin brother. I cannot tell you everything, as you must discover it for yourself. However, once you do, I will give you enough clues to help you discover more of where you came from, as it is an essential part of your destiny. Now go, and may the Force be with you."

"May the force be with you as well, my master." Jak said as the spirit vanished away from his sight, and the setting changed back to normal when he came. Then he felt a series of calming endorphins flowing coolly through his veins, which eased his mind. He contemplated to himself, '_The Force, it calmed the eco inside of me. Both dark and light eco have become less insurgent and more passive. It's like it's flowing in my blood, but not boiling. I've never felt this feeling before. I feel a lot better!"_ He walked towards the exit of the room, and descended down the elevator to rejoin his comrades.

Meanwhile, Keira, Tess, and Ahsoka descended to the underground temple so that Keira could meditate in peace. The room that they were in was three times larger than the small room at the top of the tower that Jak was in, but it was also substantially darker, as the walls and floors were painted in deep shades of black, only illuminated by faint blue lights.

"I've got a weird vibe about this place," Keira shook as she walked in an uneasy pace.

"It's only natural," Ahsoka soothed to her new comerade, "just empty your mind of any distractions that you have, and soon the answer that you seek for will be revealed."

Keira reluctantly walked to the center of the room as Tess scurried off of her shoulder. She sat on the floor and closed her eyes slowly. She struggled to concentrate as many thoughts ran through her head. She twitched her head as if she was in a nightmare. She then stood up and turned to Ahsoka, "I can't do it! There's too much fear inside of me. I can't concentrate!"

"Fear of what?" Ahsoka inquired.

"Loss." Keira replied with a dejected tone.

"Loss of what?" Ahsoka continued, "People that are close to you?"

"Yes," Keira began to admit to her, "especially Jak. I need him more than anything in the universe. And then there's my father, who got us into becoming Jedi. He's in a separate group and fighting this war on his own as well. I'm not sure how much longer he can hold out."

Then, Ahsoka suggested to her, "Well instead of dwelling on the fear of losing those that are closest to you, why don't you think of your happiest moments with them?"

Without reply, Keira sat down and closed her eyes again. She pictured in her mind all of the best moments that she shared with Jak, even the moments that led to Daxter rudely interrupting their kisses. Her finest and most cherished moment with Jak was the two of them bonding together on their wedding day. She pictured the wedding ceremony itself, the joy that everyone shared during the reception, and then the love that the two shared with each other at the end of the night. Yet when she opened her eyes, she felt dissatisfied. She knew that she came here for something else.

"You're missing something," Ahsoka deducted. "You think of your happiest thoughts, and yet you feel empty inside. Didn't your mother ever tell you never to take the best things in life for granted?"

"I never knew my mother," Keira softly replied.

Then, Ahsoka came to a conclusion, "That's it! You've lived your whole life without a mother to guide you! Here's an idea: Try picturing you mother, what she would look like, what she would sound like, what she would be like, everything. Then, she will appear in front of you to give you everything you ask for! Your mother is out there somewhere, Keira; you just never came to her for help. Now is the time."

"Hmm," Keira contemplated to herself deeply, and continued, "You're right. I never really got the chance to reach out to her. I was hoping my new eco powers would help me out with that, but I guess there's no excuse now." Then she closed her eyes and concentrated in deep thought. Moments later, the scenery changed into bright blue skies with fluffy white clouds surrounding her. She opened her eyes and stood up frantically. She looked around in all directions until she saw a golden sun straight ahead of her. From that golden sun came out an older woman. She looked very similar to Keira, but significantly older. Surrounding the wrinkles on her face and her bony arms she had the same dark-teal hair but different length, had the same green eyes, and fair skin. She was adorned with a long white dress with large angel's wings spread out wide as she was gliding towards Keira.

Keira was stunned and in awe. She had finally caught a glimpse of her mother for the first time. Tears began to stream down her face. She was excited that she saw her mother for the first time at this moment, but also gravely disappointed and saddened that she never got to see her in flesh and bone. Like Damas, Keira's mother would forever be and apparition lost in the modern universe. Keira began to sob in sadness as she collapsed onto the cloudy floor.

"Do not cry, my daughter," the angel spoke softly to her, slightly grabbing her chin as she looked up to her. Her daughter's tears soon subsided, and their emerald-green eyes stared deeply at each other. The angel continued, "I am your mother, Eva. It is such a thrill to meet you for the first time."

"But you're not here!" Keira yelled as she stood up and backed away. "You're not in flesh and blood! This can't be real! You can't be my mother!"

"Oh, but I am, my child," the angel softly replied, "and this is real. I have always been with you as you have grown up to be an intelligent, powerful, wise, and beautiful young woman, with many talents in mechanics, eco, and now the Force."

"You've been with me all 22 years of my life?" Keira scoffed in disbelief. "Impossible."

"I am part of the living Force just as you and your father are," Eva continued, "I am one of the many beings that allows eco to flow all over the universe."

"So why do you come to me now?" Keira asked the spirit, "Why didn't you come to me in my nightmares when I was a little girl? Why didn't you come to me in any of my moments when I was one bullet wound shy of death? Why didn't you come to me when my heart was broken, or when I was confused? Daddy always told me that angels are supposed to come to people during the best of times and the worst of times! Why didn't you!?"

The angel let out a dejected sigh and told her, "Because I was supposed to be that angel. I didn't want to come help any one else but you, and I can only reach out to Jedi in need. I have waited so long to urge your father to convince him to train you in the ways of the Force, techniques that I have taught him. And now that you are willing to embrace yourself with the Force, I have come to you as not only your mother, but as a spiritual conscience that will guide you through your journey."

"It was only until recently that my father told me that he was a Jedi Knight once," Keira told the ghost. Then she asked her, "Why did he wait so long to tell me about this?"

"Because your father was embarrassed and ashamed of the legacy he left behind in the Jedi Order." Eva gravely replied, "You see, the Jedi Council was desperate, they were looking for new warriors in unknown areas of the universe to fight an unknown evil. They found a young Samos at the time, and he was urged by his father to go forth and become a Jedi, in hope that he would find the Precursors and unlock their secrets. Instead, he found me. He was a bold warrior that was brash, colorful, strong, witty, and full of life. When he was old enough, he became my Padawan learner. I was a young Jedi at the time, but I had a strong connection with the Force and I was willing to show him all of my secrets. He was a very happy man at the time. Master Yoda sent us on a few missions, and we worked very well together. We served together for a very long time, oddly with him eventually becoming the oldest Padawan in Jedi history."

"Why so long?" Keira asked.

"I wish I had the answer for you, my child," the angel replied, "He grew impatient and tempered as to why they procrastinated to promote him. So I urged the Jedi Council to grant him knighthood for many years, but they refused because they had plenty of knights. We ended up falling in love, but we knew that it was forbidden in the Jedi Code to fall in love with a colleague that served in the Republic. Nevertheless, we were young and reckless, and the romance continued. Finally, the council listened to me and decided to promote him as a Jedi Knight. But all of his dreams would soon be crushed, by me."

"How?" Keira asked again.

The angel continued, "Just before he was to be granted Knighthood, I conceived you in my womb. One of the Senators of the Republic soon discovered this, and bought it to the attention of everyone: the Council, the courts, and the Senate. Your father and I knew that we were both bound to be executed for breaking the law, so the day before the verdict was given, I called upon the Force to give up the life that I had so that you could live the life that you are living in now. It was a necessary sacrifice for me, as it paid off well. Originally, the Republic wanted to execute you and your father, but they had second thoughts. So they banished you and your father through time, and sent you two deep into the past, hoping that you two would never come back. Your father felt so disappointed and dejected that he let everyone down, and that he lost me in the process, he gave up his Jedi abilities and trained tirelessly to become a Green Eco Sage. Alas, he grew weaker, and more ornery."

"Being a Jedi made him happy," Keira realized. "He was at his prime when he served as a Jedi. All of his happiest memories came with that experience, and I took it away from him!" She collapsed to the ground and sobbed again.

With her soothing, angelic voice, Eva assured her daughter, "Keira, if your father was disappointed in you for taking away his prime, he wouldn't have raised you the way that you are today. In fact, it led him to an even greater destiny."

"Which was…"Keira prodded as she looked up to her mother, cracking a smile.

Then the angel concluded, "He was called upon the Force one last time to search for a very special hero. Someone with unique eco channeling abilities, and one who could be capable enough to learn the ways of the Force in time to save the universe from its greatest hardship yet. Four years after you were born, he travelled into the future, a few years after his original timeframe, and brought back with him, a young boy."

"Jak!" She exclaimed as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. Then she concluded, "So that's why you're here! You're here to tell me that my destiny is to finish what my father started, by continuing his legacy, and that's helping Jak destroy the Empire!"

"Your instincts serve you well, my daughter," the spirit complimented her offspring, and then commanded her, "you must finish what your father had started. You must face his most formidable enemies and his darkest demons head-on. You are the beacon of light that gives this universe hope, my little girl. Use that light to guide Jak to his destiny, to fulfill yours, and to give your father his happiness again. I can't give it to him myself, but if you do, you and Jak will receive the greatest gift that anyone can have. A gift that is more powerful than both dark and light eco."

"What's the gift?" Keira shouted with eagerness.

"It is developing now," the angel told her, "but in due time you shall see how powerful it is. Just save the galaxy first, my daughter. And may the Force be with you."

Then Keira bowed humbly and replied, "May the Force be with you as well, my mother."

The angel smiled to her daughter as she turned around and floated toward the setting sun. She quickly faced Keira again as she was departing and told her, "Oh, and one more thing; you don't need dark or light powers to show your strength. You don't need them like Jak does. You are already special in every way possible. You are everything I imagined you to be and I couldn't be more proud of you and your father. Just know that from here on out, I will always be with you." Then as the sun finished setting, she vanished, and the bright blue sky dimmed into the dark setting that Keira was in originally, and the clouds evaporated from underneath her. Keira smiled up to the ceiling and let one last tear slowly roll down her face.

"I feel a lot more better about myself than ever before," Keira claimed to Ahsoka and Tess with relief and joyful enlightenment. "For the first time, I know what to do with my life. I know what my calling is!"

"Sounds like you have a plan," Ahsoka confirmed, "now its time to put it into action!"

"Well what are we waiting for?" Keira began to urge her two comrades, "let's go meet up with the boys and figure out how we can overthrow this big bad Empire once and for all. There's no time like the present!" Then the three walked out of the room and ascended up the elevator. The three girls walked towards the center of the Jedi Archives, simultaneously linking up with Jak and the rest of the boys, who walked toward them.


End file.
